Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. According to the CDC an estimate 110-thousand people in the U.S. died of drug overdoses and poisonings in 2022. Today is National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, and Laclede County Sheriff David Millsap reminds everyone that this is a deadly drug…

According to the DEA, drug traffickers are increasingly mixing fentanyl with other illicit drugs to drive addiction and create repeat business. They also report that many victims of fentanyl poisoning were unaware they ingested fentanyl. Millsap said there are some signs both socially and physically that a person is using drugs….

To prevent death, It is becoming more important than ever for people to have Narcan on hand to administer if there is an overdose. Narcan is available free of cost from vending machines that have been placed in several locations, including in the lobby of the Lebanon Police Department.
The DEA continues efforts to stop illicit drugs from crossing over the border. In 2022, the DEA seized more that 58 million pills containing fentanyl, and 13-thousand pounds of fentanyl powder, but there was still more that made it into communities, with deadly consequences to Americans.