DPS issues safety cautions for fentanyl use

DPS issues safety cautions for fentanyl use

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

AUSTIN – October marks the first-ever Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month in Texas as established by Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this year.

To help the state continue its fight against this dangerous and deadly drug, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is increasing its public awareness campaign and reminding Texans to take action now in order to help save lives.

“Fentanyl continues to be one of the biggest threats facing Texans of all ages as it flows across our southern border and into cities and towns across this country,” DPS Director Steven McCraw said.

“We are losing too many innocent lives and we must continue to do everything we can not only to stop it from entering the United States,” McCraw said, “but also to educate our children, our parents, our teachers -- everyone in our communities about how dangerous this drug is to every single American.”

Fentanyl is believed to be smuggled across the southern border. In March 2021, under Abbott’s direction, DPS launched Operation Lone Star (OLS) to secure the border and stop the smuggling of drugs and people into Texas; and to prevent, detect and interdict transnational criminal activity between ports of entry.

Since OLS began, DPS has seized over 431 million lethal doses of fentanyl across the state.

To help increase awareness, DPS has launched a series of social media videos geared at educating Texans about the dangers of fentanyl and directing them to available resources through the One Pill Kills campaign.

Abbott launched “One Pill Kills” in 2022, to educate Texans on how to prevent, recognize and reverse fentanyl poisonings.

DPS’s safety education team is also offering specialized programing to schools, churches, community groups and other organizations that would like to learn more about the statewide One Pill Kills campaign and the dangers of fentanyl.

This presentation can be tailored for a variety of audiences and age groups and is available free of charge.

DPS continues with other awareness efforts which began as part of the multi-pronged One Pill Kills campaign, including public service announcements airing in the waiting areas of more than 180 driver license offices across the state. Educational signage has been posted in more than 350 public facing DPS buildings statewide, and a dedicated webpage housing resources and information about the campaign. Visit www. dps.texas.gov/onepillkills to learn more.