United States Attorney Scott F. Leary announced on April 29 that the Northern District of Mississippi recognized the fourth annual National Fentanyl Awareness Day. The event aims to raise awareness about the ongoing fentanyl crisis affecting communities across the United States.
The initiative brings together experts, corporations, nonprofits, schools, families, and elected officials to highlight concerns over deaths caused by illicitly manufactured fentanyl and counterfeit prescription pills. National Fentanyl Awareness Day is organized by Song for Charlie, a national nonprofit focused on education as a way to prevent drug-related tragedies.
Leary said, “In 2020, our borders opened up and fentanyl poured into our country. Within a year a thirty-dollar contraband fentanyl pill was selling on our streets for mere dollars. Fentanyl now shows up in all kinds of different drugs. Kids made the immature decision to take a pill that resulted in death. Tens of thousands of families throughout our nation were left devastated. Several things can be done now to slow this continued tragedy. First, close our border and slow the flow of fentanyl and illegal drugs onto our streets. Prosecute fentanyl traffickers to the full extent of the law. And finally, get the word out – recreational drug use can be fatal. The National Fentanyl Awareness Day is part of this response. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi will do our part in putting these traffickers behind bars. Please join us in spreading the word about the dangers of drug use.”
Ed Ternan, co-founder of Song for Charlie, said, “We’re encouraged by recent signs of progress in reducing overdose deaths… But our work isn’t done. With our expanded educational resources like our new film for teens, Real Talk about Fake Pills, we’re working to reach every student, parent, family and community with the knowledge they need to navigate today’s drug landscape safely. No family should lose a child because they didn’t know a pill was fake.”
Song for Charlie was founded after Ed and Mary Ternan lost their son Charlie to a counterfeit pill containing fentanyl in 2020; it focuses its efforts on educating young people between ages 13-24 about self-medication risks and promoting healthier ways to cope with stress.
