Fentanyl
"Don't take a pill from a friend or anyone you don't know because you really don't know what's in it or where it has come from...You can't be cautious enough." - Chief Beckett
What Is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as an analgesic (pain relief) and anesthetic. It is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as an analgesic.
Fentanyl is a Schedule II narcotic under the United States Controlled Substances Act of 1970.
More recently, there has been a re-emergence of trafficking, distribution, and abuse of illicitly produced fentanyl and fentanyl analogues with an associated dramatic increase in overdose fatalities, ranging from 2,666 in 2011 to 31,335 in 2018.
How Much Fentanyl Can Kill You?
The lethal amount of fentanyl is next to the penny, a very small amount.
Is It In Northwest Colorado?
Fentanyl is a drug that is now in Northwest Colorado, resulting in overdoses and deaths. Seven people have died as a result of fentanyl in Steamboat Springs since 2020, and it’s the number one killer of people between the ages of 18 to 45 nationwide, according to the CDC.
Parent Resources
- Parent's Guide to Fentanyl
- Natural High, Protect Kids from Fentanyl
- SAFE Project
- Get Smart About Drugs
- Growing Up Drug Free, A Parent’s Guide to Prevention
- Forward Together Colorado: an innovative program by the State of Colorado to help parents and teens become more connected.
- Youth portal: Forward Together — a movement by youth and for youth in Colorado. No matter where you are or how you feel today, we’re here to help you connect and remind you that you’re not alone. Connection is always possible.
- Parent portal: The quality of your relationship with youth has real, positive outcomes for both you and them. This is a great place to start to find ideas, conversation starters and resources on topics ranging from hobbies and conflict, to substance abuse and mental health.
Steamboat Springs News Coverage
- Fentanyl An Issue Routt County Can't Ignore, Steamboat Pilot & Today, April 6, 2022
- Local Law Enforcement in NW Colorado is Dealing with Fentanyl Cases Almost Daily, Steamboat Radio, April 5, 2022
- One Pill Can Kill, Steamboat Pilot & Today, January 24, 2022
Drug Enforcement Agency Resources:
- 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment
- DEA Fentanyl Drug Factsheet
- Fentanyl: The Next Wave of the Opioid Crisis
- Fentanyl Flow to the United States
- Narcotics
- Fentanyl-Laced Crack Cocaine a Deadly New Threat
- Drug Education and Prevention
- The Overdose Crisis in the Washington D.C. Metro Area
- Heroin and Opioid Awareness Campaign
- DEA Fentanyl Related Press Releases
- Department of Justice Fentanyl Related Press Releases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Resources:
- Opioid Overdose
- Preventing Opioid Overdose
- Provisional Drug Overdose Deaths
- Trends and Geographic Patterns in Drug and Synthetic Opioid Overdose Deaths — United States, 2013–2019
- Increases in Drug and Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths — United States
- Synthetic Opioid Overdose Data
Finding Treatment
SAMHSA's National Helpline
1-800-662-HELP (4357)
TTY: 1-800-487-4889
Also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service, this helpline provides 24-hour free and confidential treatment referral and information about mental health and substance use disorders, prevention, and recovery, in English and Spanish.