Staff Reports
The United States Patent and Trademark Office and the National Crime Prevention Council teamed up a few years back to school adolescents on the hazards of grabbing fake designer duds and sports gear on the internet. But now, the campaign is pointing its finger at the main killer of youths in the United States: counterfeit fentanyl.
Executive Director Paul DelPonte of the NCPC has heard one too many gut-wrenching tales from parents who have lost their kids to this deadly drug. He says it often starts with the youngsters having a rough time, confiding in friends, and learning they can order these dangerous pills online like a late-night snack delivery. The problem is, those pills could be stuffed with anything, including the lethal fentanyl that cartels are sneaking into the country.
Some serious stats: Over 6 billion possibly deadly fentanyl doses were grabbed by Uncle Sam at the border in 2023 alone, enough to off every single person in the U.S. 18 times over! And the CDC reports that in 2022, a whopping 70% of drug overdose deaths were tied to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Yikes.
Fentanyl is also being whipped into fake prescription pills that look just like the real deal and sold across the country. This stuff is being made and sneaked into the U.S. year-round by drug cartels who are making it their main hustle. They’ve kicked old-school drugs like marijuana and cocaine to the curb in favor of this deadly opioid.
To amp up their campaign, the NCPC has gone into full-on activist mode, partnering with pop culture icons like NASCAR, Disney’s Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, and the TV show Family Guy, and hosting a murder mystery party with teenage influencers where the killer turned out to be…you guessed it, a fentanyl pill. The plan is to get the word out to young people who might not see the standard TV and radio ads.
The NCPC boasts that their campaign has been viewed a jaw-dropping 2 billion times on TV and radio in just 21 months. That’s not even counting their social media pages! Looks like McGruff the Crime Dog and a gaggle of big-name influencers aren’t messing around when it comes to warning kids about the dangers of counterfeit fentanyl.
