Hand pressing spray button on naloxone nasal spray

Let’s reverse the overdose crisis.

You know what doesn’t make sense? Countless people dying from fentanyl overdoses when we have the power to help – when we have facts that can teach us how to stay safe. We all have the power to save lives and prevent overdoses.

Fentanyl Facts Get Naloxone Responding to an Overdose

The facts on fentanyl

Fake

50X

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, up to 50 times stronger than heroin and a whopping 100 times more potent than morphine.

Did you know that a speck of fentanyl, an amount smaller than a raindrop or a few grains of salt, could literally kill you?

Real

Fake

Fentanyl is sneaky: you can’t see, taste, or smell it. Remember, fentanyl is an opioid. Many illicit substances* could be laced with this deadly opioid to make them cheaper, more powerful, and more addictive.

We’ve seen it in so-called “party drugs” like MDMA and cocaine, “study drugs” like fake Adderall, and everything in between – yup, even counterfeit pills that look like legitimate prescription drugs, including Xanax and oxy.

Long story short? Unless it’s prescribed by a clinician and administered by a pharmacist, don’t trust it.

In California, drug overdose was the leading cause of death among 25 to 54-year-olds in 2022, with the highest rates of overdose among those aged 30-39.

*An illicit drug refers to drugs that are illegal (e.g., heroin, cocaine, etc.) or used for non-medical purposes without a prescription (e.g. counterfeit opioids, Xanax, Adderall, etc.)

Info & Resources on Naloxone

Naloxone: the real MVP

There’s a lot to rave about when it comes to naloxone. Life-saving medication used to reverse opioid overdoses? Check.
Simple to use and available as a non-addictive nasal spray? Yup – it’s small enough to throw in your bag to have on you, just in case.

Let’s talk: stigma

Time to set the record straight: if you carry naloxone, it doesn’t mean you use drugs; it means you’re prepared to help save a life. Think of it like a first-aid kit.

And by the way, naloxone can only be used on someone else — not yourself. Carrying naloxone means you’re prepared to respond to overdoses by providing immediate aid when every second counts.

Finding naloxone

Naloxone is now available for purchase over-the-counter and online (nope, you don’t need a prescription). You can even use this map to find it for free near you.

In almost 40% of overdose deaths in California, a bystander was present. These are deaths that might have been prevented if a bystander knew when and how to help. Let’s change that.

Hmm, did that person’s breathing slow or stop? Naloxone can quickly restore normal breathing if it’s changed due to an opioid overdose.

Naloxone only works to reverse an overdose when someone has opioids in their system, but it won’t harm someone who did not overdose from opioids. It isn’t a treatment for opioid use disorder either.

Find Naloxone Near You

Test substances, not fate.

Grab and use some fentanyl test strips to help reduce the chance of an overdose occurring in the first place. These strips test drugs for fentanyl contamination. They give you a simple yes or no on whether fentanyl’s present — just not how much. Most fentanyl test strips on the market cost one dollar per strip, and free or low-cost test strips are also available at California’s syringe services programs (SSPs). You can find more information from the California Department of Public Health.

Learn about treatment resources and harm reduction practices (acting in alliance with people who use drugs for safer and managed drug use).

Recognizing an opioid overdose

Illustration of an eye with a pinpoint pupil that doubles as a person’s head — Small, constricted “pinpoint pupils”

Illustration of a person sunken into clouds — Falling asleep or losing consciousness

Illustration of lungs with tree branches inside and leaves falling off the branches — Slow, weak or no breathing

Illustration of a blacked-out face and a thermometer in place of facial features — Cold and/or clammy skin

Illustration of a mouth with waves in place of the tongue — Choking or gurgling sounds

Illustration of a person sitting in a chair with their arm on the armrest — Limp body

Illustration of three sets of lips — Discolored skin (especially in lips and nails)

How To

Stay safe while saving lives

California’s Good Samaritan law protects those giving emergency medical care at the scene of a medical emergency, including giving naloxone. This means if you act in good faith to help someone who’s overdosing, you’re protected from getting in trouble.

Three teenagers wearing T-shirts reading INFORMED HUMAN

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Inform your community

Knowledge = power. Fentanyl overdoses are preventable. Join us in learning about the risks of fentanyl and how to prevent overdoses.

Get informed today: FactsFightFentanyl.org

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Our mission is to inform and protect Californians and our communities from the fentanyl crisis, which has a far-reaching impact. We recognize the stigma surrounding drug use and aim to bridge the gap between awareness and action. Together, we aspire to cultivate a healthy and thriving California where the harms of fentanyl are decreased. We can achieve this goal through collective effort by equipping ourselves with solutions to prevent and reverse overdoses, arming ourselves with facts, and learning how to identify risks and prepare for emergencies.