KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Information & Resources

With so many counterfeit pills in circulation, the question isn’t what happens if… the question is what happens when.

Taking pills and other drugs not prescribed to you is never worth it. You could be taking an unsafe amount of whatever is in the pill, or unknowingly taking it in an unsafe manner. And you could be taking something that’s highly dangerous and addictive. 

​And that’s if you’re lucky enough to score an authentic pill or powder.

So, what can you do? The first step is to think about why people would take a drug not prescribed for them. We know that younger adults consistently report high levels of stress and anxiety. And we know that coping with stress is the top reason people give for using prescription drugs without a prescription. 
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When you’re in that position, it can be hard to understand the dangers of your choices. 
  • How aware are you – or your friends, family and colleagues – that any unprescribed pill you take is most likely fake? Almost half a billion counterfeit pills are currently in circulation.
  • How aware are you that fake pills are increasingly cut with harmful levels of fentanyl? Huge numbers of counterfeit pills contain harmful and potentially lethal amounts of Fentanyl or other synthetic opioids 

How do we empower people to recognize that the short-term fix they’re looking can only lead to long-term harm? Every day, more than 200 people in American lose their lives to counterfeit medication, and hundreds more suffer lasting damage.

With a growing tide of counterfeit pills in circulation, the chances of that pill being authentic shrink every day. 
  • Almost half of all counterfeit pills contain potentially lethal amounts of fentanyl
  • Drug-related deaths are now the leading cause of preventable deaths for young adults.
  • The death rate for people who take fentanyl is more than 5X the rate of heroin users. 
  •  Less than 40% of Gen Z  believe fentanyl is highly dangerous.
  • Almost 60% of Gen Z don’t even know that lacing fake pills with fentanyl is a thing
  • Nearly half of Gen Z know someone who’s taken a prescription pill that wasn’t theirs.
Where To Go To Find Out More
Project Opioid
Project Opioid empowers leaders to confront the opioid crisis, aligning them around the shared goal of reducing opioid deaths in their communities. Founded in 2018, Project Opioid was created in response to the raging opioid epidemic that claimed the lives of nearly 450,000 people across America in one decade. 
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Since then, the opioid crisis – driven by pervasive use of fentanyl – has reached unprecedented heights, contributing to the greatest mental health, substance abuse, and overdose crisis in U.S. history. 
Stop Overdose
To address the increasing number of overdose deaths related to both prescription opioids and illicit drugs, the Centers for Disease Control created this website.
It shares authoritative information about the dangers of illicitly manufactured fentanyl, the risks and consequences of mixing drugs, the lifesaving power of naloxone, and the importance of reducing stigma around recovery and treatment options.
You can also find a great tip sheet, in English and Spanish, for talking to people you can influence, as well as fact sheets and other great information.