COLORADO SPRINGS — Today marks the fourth annual National Fentanyl Awareness Day, a growing nationwide effort to raise awareness and combat the devastating toll of fentanyl-related overdoses.
Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, has become one of the most serious public health threats in the U.S. According to the DEA, just one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill up to 500,000 people. The danger lies not only in the drug’s potency but also in its often hidden presence—many overdoses occur because people don’t realize they’ve taken fentanyl at all.
Steve Carleton is the Chief Clinical Officer at Porch Light Health, who highlighted Colorado’s efforts in reducing fentanyl-related deaths.
“We have made significant progress in decreasing the amounts of overdose deaths from fentanyl,” Carleton said. “But we want to keep our foot on the gas pedal. It’s still a tremendous amount of lives lost every year. That’s why fentanyl awareness and safety education are so critical.”
Authorities warn that counterfeit prescription pills—designed to look like legitimate medications—are often laced with lethal amounts of fentanyl. These pills are commonly distributed through social media or peer-to-peer payment apps and may carry coded messages using emojis to mask illegal transactions.
A few of the emoji codes to be aware of include:
- Plug, money signs, or leaf emojis: General drug-related symbols
- Diamond or potion bottle: Often signify meth
- Dragon: May indicate heroin
- 8-ball, snowflake, key: Used for cocaine
- Candy, pill, lightning bolt: Common for MDMA or Molly
Parents, educators, and peers are urged to stay vigilant about these signs, especially among teens and young adults.
To help prevent overdose deaths, resources are available to educate the public on how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose. This includes information on how to access and use naloxone, a life-saving medication that can reverse the effects of opioid toxicity.
For more information on how you can get involved or access support, visit fentanylawarenessday.org.
Over 100 illegal immigrants and more than a dozen active-duty military members detained during raid
Over 100 undocumented immigrants and over a dozen active-duty military members were arrested in a DEA raid at an underground nightclub in Colorado Springs on Sunday.
