Laced & Lethal: Continued Concerns about Fentanyl

Fifty to one hundred-times more potent than morphine, Fentanyl has led to a 46 percent increase in deaths among Clark County residents and more than 225 deaths in 2021. Increasingly, we are seeing deaths among young people. And unlike most opiates, Fentanyl can be lethal with the first use. It only takes a two-milligram dose, similar to 5-7 grains of salt to cause death for an average size adult. Planners need to analyze lethal and non lethal overdose trends in their communities and collaborate with public health and law enforcement agencies to disrupt these trends through prevention and harm reduction strategies. The Center for Disease Control is also looking to communities to address overdose trends in their comprehensive plans.

This case study offers a media toolkit, including new video ads designed to target middle school and high school students that can be shared to warn students of the dangers of counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl. The case study includes recommendations on the use of opioid settlement funds.

NPC Peer Reviewers assigned this presentation a learning level of Advanced. For more on learning-level descriptions, visit our General Information Page.