Texas has allocated October as Fentanyl Awareness Month to help spread awareness and understanding about the dangers of fentanyl. Strategies to help address the fentanyl crisis in Texas include spreading information to students and members of the community about the risks of the drug and how to recognize and manage fentanyl overdose.
Official recognition of fentanyl poisoning awareness month in Texas
The state of Texas has declared October as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month. In September 2025, the state declared that October would be known as fentanyl poisoning awareness month, with one week of the month focused on providing instruction and education within schools. [2]
State officials, including Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, have recognized the growing threat to the lives of Texans in relation to the fentanyl epidemic across the country. Various initiatives, policies, and programs have been enacted within the last few years to help address this issue. [1]
The fentanyl crisis in Texas
Across the United States, fentanyl is the leading cause of fatality and is reportedly responsible for over two-thirds of overdose deaths. In 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized over 380 million lethal doses of fentanyl. [3][4]
In Texas, over the last year, 1231 fentanyl-related deaths have been reported, equating to more than 3 deaths per day. Figures have dropped in the last two years, likely due to increasing access and distribution to overdose resources and substance use support in the state. However, from 2019 to 2023, fentanyl-related deaths in Texas increased by almost 628%, from 317 to 2307, indicating a severe and growing issue. [5]
The goals of fentanyl poisoning awareness month
The goal of fentanyl poisoning awareness month is to prevent and reduce the number of fentanyl-related overdoses and deaths in Texas. To do this, the state intends to inform students and members of the public through campaigns, school and community activities, and social media information sharing. The state government has shared various resources and toolkits that can be utilized to help people plan and prepare for these strategies to raise awareness and reduce fentanyl-related harm. [2]
This includes goals such as:
- Preventing the development of substance abuse and addiction issues in young people
- Ensuring people understand the effects and risks of drugs
- Increasing awareness among young people and members of the community about the prevalence of fentanyl, including its presence in other substances such as counterfeit pills
- Spreading awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and other substances, including how to recognize signs of overdose
- Increasing education about how to manage an overdose, including how to access and use naloxone (Narcan)
Prevention and education strategies
Education strategies are required, by law, to be regulated by a school health advisory council (SHAC), which recommends and advises on age-appropriate curriculum content. This means that each age group will be provided with information about the dangers of opioids in a manner and extent that is within their level of understanding. [2]
For example, students in grades 6-12 are provided with evidence-based information and guidance on fentanyl abuse prevention and overdose, with specific content around: [2][6]
- Preventing the development of fentanyl abuse and addiction
- Suicide prevention
- Available resources within the school or community, and how to access them
- Education around substance use and abuse, particularly among young people
- A basic understanding of different substances, their effects, and associated harm
Younger age groups will be provided with a basic understanding of the effects of substances, the impacts of peer pressure and others’ influences, how to report substance use by peers, and how to ask parents or other trusted adults for help with substance-related harm. [6]
Alongside school-based education is the One Pill Kills campaign, launched by Governor Greg Abbott in 2022. This campaign helps to educate people about the extreme danger of just one dose of fentanyl, and how to prevent, recognize, and reverse a fentanyl overdose. [1]
How schools and communities can participate in awareness month
The state’s education agency has shared resources for schools and communities to use to help with participating in awareness month. For example, the Fentanyl Response Communications Toolkit can be accessed to provide educational resources and programs to students and parents, as well as to help community members spread awareness and share facts. Resources included in this toolkit include:
- Posters and flyers containing clear and concise information about the dangers of fentanyl
- Sample posts and images for people to share on various social media platforms to spread awareness
- Fact sheets
- Template letters for educators to share with parents, informing them of the facts and dangers of fentanyl
- Template letters to share with school staff, to help identify and manage overdoses
- Health Education Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Aligned to Fentanyl Abuse Prevention and Drug Poisoning Awareness, which includes age-appropriate information to help guide teachers in educating students
Final thoughts
Across the United States, strategies are increasingly being implemented to help address the opioid crisis faced by the country. Many of these initiatives include providing education resources, overdose treatments, and harm reduction techniques to young people and members of the community.
The implementation of Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month can help the students, parents, and members of the community in Texas, working toward the prevention of substance use issues or accidental overdose, and could help save countless lives.
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