Can you tell the difference?

Don't die to get high!
Get educated on how to protect yourself and others from fentanyl-related deaths.

A picture of a real pill and a fake pill side by side.

Fentanyl Facts - The Hard Truth

Fentanyl is stealing lives of all ages every day, everywhere across the U.S. In 2024, there were 111,464 fentanyl-related deaths. It is impossible to know if drugs or fake pills contain fentanyl until it's too late unless you use fentanyl testing strips properly.

Knowing the facts can teach you how to stay safe. We all have the power to save lives and reverse overdoses and poisonings. Get educated on how to protect yourself and others by learning how to use Naloxone (aka Narcan) and fentanyl test strips and knowing the facts.

Additional Facts and Resources

Fentanyl poisoning and overdose is the #1 cause of death for 18-45 year-olds in the United States.

7 out of 10 fake pills such as Xanax, OxyContin, Adderall, and Percocet contain a potential deadly amount of fentanyl. You can't see it, taste, or smell it.

People are dying every day from cocaine, meth, and heroine laced with fentanyl. Today, taking drugs is like playing a deadly game of life and death.

Fentanyl poisoning does not discriminate against age, race, socioeconomic status, or frequency of drug use.

Every 11 MINUTES someone dies of fentanyl poisoning or overdose.

Fake pills can be found online and via social media being marketed as legitimate prescription pills. 70% of fake prescription pills contain lethal amounts of fentanyl.

Only 2 mg of fentanyl - an amount the size of a raindrop or four grains of salt can kill an adult.

California’s Good Samaritan law protects you from criminal charges for drug possession if you seek emergency help for someone’s drug-related overdose.

What is Fentanyl?

There are two types of fentanyl - pharmaceutical fentanyl and illegally made fentanyl. Both types are synthetic (lab made) opioids. Pharmaceutical fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is approved by the FDA for medical use as a painkiller and anesthetic during surgery. Pharmaceutical fentanyl does not come in pill form. The majority of fentanyl-related harms and overdoses are linked to illegally made fentanyl. Both types of fentanyl are 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times more powerful than heroin.

Illegally made fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is most commonly found in powder form and pressed into many common illicit drugs and counterfeit pills, and can be smoked, snorted, injected, or ingested. It can also be found in liquid form added to nasal sprays, eye drops, paper, or in small candies.

It is often added to other drugs because of its extreme potency, which makes drugs cheaper, more powerful, more addictive, and more dangerous. Drugs mixed with fentanyl are extremely dangerous with DEA lab testing found 70% of fake pills today contain lethal amounts of fentanyl and is undetectable because it has no smell or taste.

Another risk is that the spread of fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills has also meant that many people who don't normally use opiates — and never intended to — end up getting hooked on them. For someone who is addicted to fentanyl, withdrawal symptoms can start as early as a few hours after they stop taking it.

What is Naloxone (aka Narcan) and how to use it?

When someone is overdosing on an opioid, carrying naloxone provides immediate aid to restore breathing and reverse the effects of opioid overdose. If you carry naloxone, it means you’re equipped to help save a life should you encounter someone overdosing on opioids. It is akin to being prepared for an emergency with a first-aid kit or knowing CPR.

Naloxone can only be used on someone else — not yourself.
Naloxone only works to reverse an overdose when someone has opioids in their system, but it won’t harm someone who did not overdose from opioids.
It can restore normal breathing within 2-3 minutes. Because of the potency of fentanyl, more than one dose of Naloxone may be required to work.
Naloxone is designed to rapidly reverse an opioid overdose, and it needs to be administered immediately upon symptoms.

How does it work?

Naloxone (aka Narcan) nasal spray can block and reverse the effects of an opioid emergency and restore breathing in 2-3 minutes when every second counts. From the time someone calls 911 to when emergency personnel arrive can be too late. During an opioid emergency, it can only take 4 minutes for brain damage to occur after someone stops breathing, and death can result in another 4-6 minutes.

In almost 40% of overdose deaths in California, a bystander was present. These are deaths that might have been prevented if someone had and knew how to administer naloxone.

Signs of an opioid overdose:

Here are some things to look for:

Small, constricted “pinpoint pupils” that don’t react to light
Limp body, unconsciousness or inability to awaken
Slow, weak, or no breathing
Choking or gurgling sounds
Cold, clammy, and/or discolored skin (especially in nails or lips)

If you suspect someone is experiencing an overdose, please follow the steps below.

Call 911.
Remove naloxone (Narcan) nasal spray from the box and peel back the tab to open.
Hold the naloxone nasal spray with your thumb on the bottom of the red plunger and your first and middle fingers on either side of the nozzle.
Make sure the person is laying on their back and tilt the person’s head back providing support under the neck with your hand.
Gently insert the tip of the nozzle into one nostril, until your fingers on either side of the nozzle are against the bottom of the person’s nose.
Press the red plunger firmly to give the dose of the naloxone into the person’s nostril.
After administering, remove the nasal spray form the nostril and move the person on their side.
Stay with the person until help arrives.

If the person does not respond by waking up to voice or touch, or breathing normally within 2-3 minutes, give the person another dose using a new naloxone nasal spray in the other nostril. You can administer additional does if necessary every 2-3 minutes, if available.

What is the maximum number of Narcan doses?
Narcan has no maximum dose limit, so it isn't possible to overdose on the drug. This means you can't hurt someone by giving them too much Narcan, even if you're unsure if they experienced an opioid overdose.

Watch a video on how to use Narcan

What are fentanyl testing strips?

It is nearly impossible to tell if drugs have been laced with fentanyl unless you test your drugs with fentanyl testing strips. Testing strips are inexpensive, typically give results within 5 minutes, and can be the difference between life or death. There are many types of testing strips available, so reading the instructions carefully is crucial in getting a correct result.

Another consideration in using testing strips is that fentanyl is not distributed evenly when laced in drugs or fake pills. Think of a fake pill as a chocolate chip cookie. The chocolate chips are distributed randomly in the cookie. If you test only one area, you may miss the presence of fentanyl elsewhere. Therefore, it is recommended that you test multiple samples to ensure more accurate results.

You will soon be able to contact the Lears Fentanyl Awareness Foundation directly for free naloxone and fentanyl testing strips. Additionally, please look for our booth at many upcoming community events where we will also have both available to the public. We will also be working to install vending machines throughout the county with free naloxone and fentanyl testing strips. Please go here for current vending machine locations in Sonoma County.

Treatment options for fentanyl addiction

Treatment for fentanyl addiction is the same as for any opioid use disorder and depends on the severity of the addiction.

Treatment may include:

Inpatient or outpatient detox program and behavioral treatment programs
Medication treatments to help manage cravings and the possibility of relapse such as buprenorphine and methadone, which affect the same receptors in the brain as those affected by fentanyl. This helps reduce symptoms of withdrawal. A doctor may also choose to prescribe naltrexone, which stops the effect fentanyl has on the body.