National Fentanyl Awareness Day Is April 29

April 29 marks the fourth annual National Fentanyl Awareness Day. This day brings together experts, families, nonprofits, corporations and officials to highlight the dangers of illegally made fentanyl. This observance, founded by parents who have tragically lost loved ones to the overdose crisis, aims to elevate the dialogue around illegally made fentanyl and mobilize unified action.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Even trace amounts can be deadly. Illegally made fentanyl is frequently mixed into heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine or pressed into counterfeit pills designed to resemble legitimate prescription medication. This mixing makes fentanyl extremely dangerous, as many individuals may unknowingly consume fentanyl-laced substances. These practices dramatically increase the risk for unsuspecting users and continue to drive the majority of overdose fatalities in the United States.

Recent preliminary CDC data estimate a 26.5% decline in overdose deaths in the U.S. in the 12 months ending November 2024, compared to the same time frame of the previous year. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently renewed the national public health emergency declaration of the opioid crisis. Despite the downward trend in overdose deaths, fentanyl remains the predominant driver of overdose mortality.

The CDC continues to address this crisis through its Stop Overdose campaign, providing free educational resources and promoting the use of naloxone, a lifesaving overdose-reversal drug. The Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) program also strengthens U.S. overdose surveillance and provides both fatal (SUDORS) and nonfatal (DOSE) data systems. 

To help spread awareness of National Fentanyl Awareness Day, use the CDC NFAD partner toolkit and NFAD toolkit to access key messages, social media templates, email samples and more.