United States Attorney Scott F. Leary announced on April 29 that the Northern District of Mississippi recognized the fourth annual National Fentanyl Awareness Day. The event aims to inform communities about the ongoing fentanyl crisis in the United States.
The awareness day brings together a coalition of experts, corporations, nonprofits, schools, families, and elected officials to highlight rising deaths linked to illicitly manufactured fentanyl and counterfeit prescription pills. Organized by Song for Charlie, a national nonprofit group, National Fentanyl Awareness Day uses education as its primary tool to prevent further tragedies.
Leary said, “In 2020, our borders opened up and fentanyl poured into our country. Within a year a thirty-dollar contraband fentanyl pill was selling on our streets for mere dollars. Fentanyl now shows up in all kinds of different drugs. Kids made the immature decision to take a pill that resulted in death. Tens of thousands of families throughout our nation were left devastated. Several things can be done now to slow this continued tragedy. First, close our border and slow the flow of fentanyl and illegal drugs onto our streets. Prosecute fentanyl traffickers to the full extent of the law. And finally, get the word out - recreational drug use can be fatal. The National Fentanyl Awareness Day is part of this response. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi will do our part in putting these traffickers behind bars. Please join us in spreading the word about the dangers of drug use.”
Ed Ternan, co-founder of Song for Charlie said, “We’re encouraged by recent signs of progress in reducing overdose deaths... But our work isn’t done. With our expanded educational resources like our new film for teens, Real Talk about Fake Pills, we’re working to reach every student, parent, family and community with the knowledge they need to navigate today’s drug landscape safely. No family should lose a child because they didn’t know a pill was fake.”
Song for Charlie is described as a leading national nonprofit focused on raising awareness about "fentapills," or fake pills made from fentanyl; it was founded after Ed and Mary Ternan lost their son Charlie in 2020 due to such an incident.
The U.S Attorney's Office emphasized its commitment to prosecuting traffickers while encouraging public participation in spreading information about drug risks.
