The Fentanyl Awareness Movement in US Schools Is Growing

In the coming months, public schools in Illinois, Oregon, and Washington state will likely be required to educate students about the dangers of fentanyl.

The state law for Illinois, pending the governor’s signature, and Oregon, would take effect in September, while public schools in Washington must comply by the start of the 2025–26 academic year.

The Illinois bill covers high schools, requiring all state health courses for ninth through 12th grades to provide instruction, study, discussion, and assessment on the dangers of fentanyl, according to the Illinois General Assembly. The legislation follows research from the state’s Department of Public Health that determined that overdose deaths from synthetic opioids increased by more than 3,300 percent between 2013 and 2022.

Illinois State Board of Education spokesperson Lindsay Record said on June 24 that the guide being developed will be used as a resource by districts and educators “when discussing the topic of substance use prevention, including fentanyl, and recovery at an age and developmentally appropriate level.”

Oregon’s law, which is not limited to specific grades, defines the subject matter as the dangers of “synthetic opioids, including fentanyl or any substituted derivative of fentanyl, and counterfeit and fake drugs,” according to the Oregon Legislative Assembly.

Washington state’s Lucas Petty Act was signed into law in March. The curriculum, which is currently being developed under a partnership of the state’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families, Department of Health, and Board of Education will cover sixth through 12th grades.

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The law, named after a victim of fentanyl poisoning, is a response to troubling statistics in Washington state, where 190 people under the age of 24 died from fentanyl overdose in 2023, making it the state’s leading cause of death that year for residents under 30, according to the state’s House Democrats.

“Youth (and their parents or guardians) don’t understand the dangers of opioids and fentanyl. The truth is that just two milligrams can end a life,” the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Mari Leavitt, said in a statement. “This amount can easily be found in pills or other drugs. Even one pill laced with fentanyl can kill.”

Oregon has also funded a public awareness campaign via a website, thenewdrugtalk.org. The website features a library of videos on the topic of fentanyl, talking points, and Q&As for parents.

A video on the website notes that young people often acquire illicit fentanyl in the form of fake pills or synthetic heroin by making connections on social media. The drug is considered 50 times to 100 times more potent than heroin.

Another video shows how counterfeit “fentapills” brought into the United States by drug cartels on a massive scale can resemble specific prescription drugs, right down to the tiny letters and markings on a pill.

“If it’s not from a doctor or pharmacist, it’s not legit,” the narrator says. “Tell your friends. Tell everyone you know. The more people who learn about fentapills, the safer we’re all going to be.”

In Texas, state lawmakers last year passed Tucker’s Law, which requires public school districts to provide annual instruction to students in sixth through 12th grades on the topics of fentanyl use, abuse, addiction, and suicide-related deaths of those who used the drug. The Legislature also established the “Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month” public awareness campaign that takes place in schools every October.

The Texas Education Agency provided teachers with resources from state and national agencies, including contact information for treatment experts willing to appear as guest speakers, videos on opioid use and misuse, contact information for emergency services, prevention guides, and drug disposal information.

In California, state Assemblyman David Alvarez has introduced a bill requiring a fentanyl awareness curriculum in public schools by the start of the 2026–27 academic year. That legislation, AB2429, states that fentanyl is to blame for more than half of the drug overdose deaths in San Diego County.

“AB2429 underscores the importance of education in combating this crisis and ensures our youth are prepared to protect themselves and their communities,” Mr. Alvarez said in a May 15 statement.

At the federal level, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration proclaimed May 7 as National Fentanyl Awareness Day.

The agency is also promoting the Aug. 21 National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day organized by the nonprofit Facing Fentanyl.

Facing Fentanyl is urging Congress and President Joe Biden to do more to combat the production of illicit fentanyl.

“In 2023, the rate of fentanyl-related deaths increased to one every 5 minutes, and the staggering loss of life underscores the urgent continuing need for comprehensive action to address the fentanyl scourge,” the organization’s 2024 letter campaign states.