DEA advises parents to discuss fentanyl with children

(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Rocky Mountain Field Division is urging parents to discuss the dangers of fentanyl as children head out for the summer.

According to the DEA, fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat to face the U.S. Nationwide, the agency has seized millions of pills. The Rocky Mountain division is on pace to have a record-setting year.

“It is an unfortunate reality that seizures of fake fentanyl pills across our Division – Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana – continue at unprecedented levels,” said DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge David Olesky. “Fentanyl poisonings are the leading cause of death for Americans 18 to 45 years of age. We need parents, grandparents, teachers, siblings, friends, and neighbors to join us in having the discussion on the deadly dangers of this poison being peddled by the cartels in our country.”

The division said so far in the 2024 fiscal year that runs from Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024, the division had seized nearly 1.8 million fentanyl pills. With last year’s record of 2.61 million, the agency says it will “almost certainly” be broken.

The DEA has resources for parents to inform themselves about the dangers of fentanyl before having the talk.

Lab testing done by the DEA has shown seven out of 10 fentanyl pills contain a potential lethal dose, as little as two milligrams, the equivalent of a few granules of sugar, can be fatal.

“As we head into the summer and kids are out of school, let’s not fail to continue to educate our family and friends on the dangers of fentanyl. The more we talk about fentanyl, the better,” Olesky said. “At DEA, we’re fighting these cartels and the fentanyl crisis every day – now we need the rest of the country to join us in that fight. It is true that one pill can kill, but it’s also true that one conversation can save.”

For more information, click the link above or visit www.dea.gov/onepill.

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