SAN DIEGO – The U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with the San Diego City Attorney’s Office and the Olé Foundation from the University of San Diego, initiated a social media campaign to raise awareness about fentanyl. The campaign involves the University of San Diego's women’s volleyball team and aims at promoting overdose prevention, especially coinciding with National Fentanyl Awareness Day.
The campaign's objective is to inform students about the risks of fentanyl and how to prevent fatal overdoses. “These student athletes are terrific ambassadors for the messages of fentanyl awareness and prevention,” stated U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. He emphasized the progress made in preventing accidental fentanyl poisonings through partnerships. City Attorney Heather Ferbert noted, “Fentanyl continues to claim lives across our communities, and awareness is one of the most powerful tools we have to fight back.”
The campaign includes a video featuring student athletes discussing the dangers of fentanyl misuse and the importance of naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal medication. Naloxone is available without prescription at numerous locations in California, increasing accessibility to this life-saving drug.
The announcement showcases student athletes expressing their commitment to avoiding non-prescribed pills due to potential fentanyl contamination. They advocate for awareness of overdose symptoms and the use of naloxone, urging community safety through knowledge and prevention over luck.
Messages from the athletes stress the importance of setting a positive example and emphasize teamwork in combating the fentanyl crisis. The athletes use hashtags #TakesMoreThanLuck and #ItTakesATeam to spread their message across major social media platforms.
This initiative marks the third collaboration featuring student-athletes with the U.S. and City Attorney’s Offices in association with an NIL collective. The Olé Foundation at USD supports this campaign, focusing on empowering student-athletes with education and resources for a prosperous NIL landscape.
Previously, collaborations with the SDSU women's soccer team, the SDSU men's basketball team, and their NIL collective, the MESA Foundation, achieved significant engagements with over a million impressions. More resources on fentanyl prevention are accessible through San Diego County’s Community & Parent Toolkits.
The participation of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in these initiatives does not signify an endorsement of any related products or services by USD’s NIL Department.
