“Simply put, fentanyl is a clandestine killer, and Texans are falling victim to the cartels that are producing it.” – Governor Greg Abbott

Fentanyl: One pill kills

RAISING AWARENESS TO SAVE THE LIVES OF TEXANS

Fentanyl is a deadly synthetic opioid that is impacting communities across Texas and endangering Texans of all ages. Fentanyl-related deaths reported in Texas increased 158% from 2020 to 2023, and the time to combat the infiltration of this drug into our state is now.

Under the direction of Governor Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is working to raise awareness about the dangers of this drug to save the lives of Texans. Often, people don’t even know that they’re taking this deadly drug.

Mexican drug cartels are mass-producing and trafficking counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl into Texas. The reality is that many of these fake pills look so real that it’s hard to tell the difference between fake and real prescription pills. So much so that even experts have a hard time telling the difference. Don’t fall victim to the deadly dangers of fentanyl.

To combat the rise in fentanyl across Texas, DPS continues to combat the smuggling of this deadly drug into our state, particularly as part of Operation Lone Star. Since Operation Lone Star began in March 2021, Texas law enforcement has seized more than half a billion^* lethal doses of fentanyl across the state. This is enough fentanyl to kill every man, woman and child in the United States.

DANGERS OF FENTANYL

Fentanyl is often pressed into fake pills or cut into street drugs, such as methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine — often without the user knowing it — and the outcome can be deadly. In fact, most people who die from fentanyl didn’t know that they were even taking this deadly drug. One of the challenges in combating this crisis is the fact that these “fake” pills are everywhere. They are widely available. They aren’t hard to purchase.

Fentanyl dangers are impacting Texans of all ages. Fentanyl is 50–100 times more potent than morphine — just 2 milligrams could be lethal. According to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) lab tests, “four out of every ten fake pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose.” The impacts of fentanyl are devastating — and deadly.

Source: https://www.dps.texas.gov/