News
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Combatting the Fentanyl Problem through Awareness & Community Resources
- Sheriff’s Office Breaks Stigma with Award-Winning Substance Abuse Recovery Program
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Spread Awareness with Messaging from Our Updated Communications Toolkit
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How to Dispose of Your Unused or Expired Medications; Drug Take Back Day April 22
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Opioid Overdose Dashboard Updated to Highlight Emerging Threats
6 FENTANYL FACTS
- Fentanyl is involved in more deaths of Americans under 50 than any other cause of death, including heart disease, cancer, and all other accidents.
- Practically all of the pills seized by law enforcement are fake, and 40% contain a potentially lethal amount of fentanyl.
- Fentanyl is involved in more American youth drug deaths than heroin, meth, cocaine, benzos and Rx drugs combined.
- Fake pills have been found in all 50 states. Assume any prescription med you see online is fake, including Oxy, Percocet, and Xanax.
- Fentanyl is cheap, potent and profitable, so dealers use it to make fake pills. It can also be found in party drugs like cocaine and MDMA.
- Illegally made fentanyl is the primary driver of the recent increase in all U.S. overdose deaths. Fentanyl-involved deaths are fastest growing among 14-23 year olds.
Fentanyl is extremely fatal, even in the smallest doses. Similar to national and statewide trends, most fatal overdoses in Fairfax County in recent years have involved fentanyl, which is a common substitute or cutting agent in 
illicit narcotics such as cocaine, heroin, MDMA (also known as ecstasy or molly), as well as counterfeit pills. Nationally, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reports a dramatic rise in the number of counterfeit pills containing at least two milligrams of fentanyl, which is considered a deadly dose. Counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl can look the same as authentic pills, making it almost impossible to know whether a pill has a deadly dose of fentanyl or not.
Rainbow fentanyl – or fentanyl pills and powder that come in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes – is also an emerging national concern, according to the U.S. DEA.
Our Police Department has found that numerous youth overdoses have involved burnt tin foil which is often used to facilitate the inhalation of the pills (other Northern Virginia jurisdictions are also observing this).
Signs of Opioid Overdose:
- Face is pale or clammy
- Breathing is infrequent or has stopped
- Deep snoring or gurgling (death rattle)
- Unresponsive to any stimuli
- Slow or no heart rate and/or pulse
- Bluish purple, or ashen skin color
- Fingernails turn blue or blue-black
What We're Doing
In Fairfax County, more people die from overdoses than car accidents. Data shows that treatment strategies are needed as the opioid epidemic evolves within our community.
Fairfax County's Opioid and Substance Use Task Force is a collaborative, cross-systems approach to combat the impact of the opioid epidemic.
We have a plan to combat the opioid epidemic here in Fairfax County, but we need your help as well. Note: the prior opioid plan, revised in 2021, is also available for review.
Fairfax County's Opioid and Substance Use Task Force's primary goals are to:
- Reduce deaths from opioids.
- Improve the quality of life of individuals impacted by opioid use disorder.
- Use data to describe the problem, target and improve interventions and evaluate effectiveness.
Note: the prior FY21 opioid task force infographic is also available for review.