This week marked National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day and state Attorney General Ashley Moody stood with leaders in Pasco County to warn Floridians to never use illicit drugs.

According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement 2022 Medical Examiners Interim Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons Report, District 6, consisting of Pasco and Pinellas counties, is the area of the state with the highest number of total deaths with fentanyl at 374—nearly 100 more deaths than the next closest district, Jacksonville. District 6 saw an astonishing 33 percent increase in total deaths with fentanyl from 2020 to 2022. Moody noted that fentanyl is found in almost all types of illicit drugs and urging Floridians to beware, because just one pill can kill.

“The nation’s drug overdose death rate continues to skyrocket because of the massive influx of illicit fentanyl into our country. Sadly, Florida is not immune to this deadly crisis. On National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, I joined leaders in the hardest hit part of our state to warn about this highly lethal synthetic opioid and the potential emerging trend of counterfeit Xanax pills containing even more fentanyl than we have seen in previous pills seized,” said Moody.

Families Against Fentanyl Founder James Rauh said, “Families Against Fentanyl commends Attorney General Moody for convening today’s important event and for the decisive leadership she continues to show combating the illicit fentanyl crisis. Because of her advocacy, more and more elected officials, members of law enforcement, and nonprofit leaders are coming to the conclusion that illicit fentanyl needs to be treated like the Weapon of Mass Destruction it is. Until this scourge has been defeated, we need to make every day ‘National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day.”

Pasco County Board of Commissioners Chair Jack Mariano said, “We appreciate the Attorney General’s strong and steadfast leadership to prevent substance abuse in our community. Awareness about the dangers and deadly repercussions of fentanyl is key, and we stand with our Attorney General to remind the people of Pasco County – and those beyond – that fentanyl is one of the most dangerous drug threats facing our country.”

Shatterproof Chief Public Policy Officer Kevin Roy said, “Fentanyl in our country is a multi-dimensional problem: a national security, law enforcement and public health challenge that requires a multi-dimensional solution spanning foreign policy, homeland security, and public health, while developing a deeper understanding of demand for the substances. Shatterproof, a national nonprofit organization focused on reversing the addiction crisis, developed Treatment Atlas, a free-to-the-public, nonprofit platform available in Florida and 11 other states, which allows people to find and compare addiction treatment facilities for substance use disorders so patients can make informed decisions about their care. Through this unique resource as well as our continued work with Attorney General Moody and her team, and via federal and state efforts, we hope to reduce the alarming trends in deaths from fentanyl, address this urgent public health crisis and save lives.”

More than 110,000 Americans died from drug overdoses last year—mainly due to illicit fentanyl. The deadly substance is also the number one killer of adults aged 18 to 45, although the drug does not only threaten adults. A study conducted by Families Against Fentanyl found that children under the age of 14 are dying of fentanyl poisoning at a faster rate than any other age group.

Fentanyl is mixed into other illicit substances, like cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana, as well as counterfeit pills. The Drug Enforcement Administration reports that six out of 10 counterfeit pills contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. According to information from the border, there is a potential emerging trend of counterfeit Xanax pills containing even more fentanyl than detected in pills seized in the past.