PORTLAND, Ore. — Overdose deaths among young people in the U.S. are on the rise and primarily driven by fentanyl in counterfeit pills. Multnomah County hopes to curb this trend through a fentanyl awareness campaign targeted at youth and families.
Over the next month, messages will appear on social media, streaming apps, bus benches and bus shelter countywide, highlighting the dangers of fentanyl and how common it's become for counterfeit prescription pills to contain the deadly drug. The theme of the campaign is "Expect Fentanyl."
In 2023, 7 out of 10 fake pills seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) contained a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl. Most of the pills were designed to look like legitimate prescription medication — like oxycodone, Xanax and Adderall.
“We know young people are uniquely vulnerable to misinformation about fentanyl, creating a serious and deadly issue that we’ve been working hard to combat on many fronts,” Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said. “Reducing youth exposure to fentanyl and preventing untimely and tragic overdose deaths must be a primary driver in our work to address this crisis."
Last year, a 15-year-old at Jefferson High School died from a fentanyl overdose. Aricely Jimenez, a senior at Jefferson and a part of a student health organization, said after the incident, a lot of students were asking questions like “how do we know if someone is overdosing,” “what do we do if someone is overdosing,” and “how do we know if a pill is counterfeit.”
“It definitely impacted the school emotionally because it is an emotional situation, but then, it does question more kids and make them more curious about what happened,” Jimenez said.
The "Expect Fentanyl" campaign aims to not just make youth and families aware of the prevalence of the drug but also educate people on what to do if they suspect someone is overdosing. Some of the messaging in the campaign advises families and students to carry naloxone, or NARCAN, a nasal or injectable medicine that can stop a fentanyl overdose.
Richard Bruno, Multnomah County & Tri County Health Officer, said naloxone is available for free for students at high school student health centers countywide, students under the age of 15 can get naloxone with parent permission.
The fentanyl awareness campaign will run through May to early October to reach students at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year. Messages will appear on Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok.
In total, the campaign will cost $184,784, Multnomah County said. Bruno added that they are also working with Song for Charlie, a nonprofit dedicated to fentanyl education. The group recently launched the "New Drug Talk" in Oregon, a free online resource to help families have the conversation around drug use.
“I think it will help by just providing clear information and not misinformation 'cause there is a lot of misinformation here at school sometimes," Jimenez said. "Especially after that unfortunate overdose, there has been worry and concern from teachers and classmates and parents about drug use and how it’s being talked about at school."
The Oregon Health Authority is also starting a statewide social media campaign, called Fentanyl Aware, to spotlight the public health harms caused by fentanyl. It will run for five weeks with posts in English and Spanish and focus on risk of fentanyl and also remind people of Oregon's good Samaritan law, which provides legal protections for individuals and the people they're helping during a drug overdose.