WHEREAS, fentanyl poisoning is an epidemic that is devastating communities and families across the Commonwealth of Virginia and the nation; and

WHEREAS, fentanyl is a Schedule II controlled substance and a synthetic opioid drug that is approximately one hundred times more potent than morphine and fifty times more potent than heroin as an analgesic; and

WHEREAS, fentanyl is often used as an additive or substitute to other drugs unknowingly by users, increasing the risk of fatal overdose; and

WHEREAS, awareness is one of our greatest tools to fight the opioid public health crisis; and

WHEREAS, fatal drug overdose accounted for more deaths in Virginia than motor vehicle related deaths and gun related deaths combined for each year since 2020; and

WHEREAS, a lethal dose of dry fentanyl powder can be as little as 2 milligrams (mg) and one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill over five-hundred thousand individuals;and

WHEREAS, fatal drug overdose has been the leading method of unnatural death in Virginia since 2013, specifically driven by fentanyl poisoning; and

WHEREAS, the leading cause of the opioid epidemic is fentanyl, and Virginia recorded 2021 as the worst year for fatal drug overdoses in Virginia with seventy-six percent of overdose deaths caused by fentanyl, over ninety-eight percent of which was produced illegally; and

WHEREAS, fentanyl is the leading cause of drug overdose deaths, almost all of which is being illegally smuggled into the United States; and

WHEREAS, naloxone is a life-saving medicine in the form of a nasal spray that can revive the person who has overdosed on opioids and allow emergency personnel time to respond; and

WHEREAS, many Virginia families have suffered the loss of loved ones due to fentanyl poisoning and have gathered together to build resiliency and educate others about the dangers of this crisis; and

WHEREAS, a notable group, the Virginia Moms, has been a leading advocacy group in the Governor’s opioid initiatives; and

WHEREAS, Governor Youngkin’s Right Help, Right Now plan seeks to expand recovery support for those affected by substance use disorder; and

WHEREAS, this plan transforms Virginia’s behavioral healthcare system and includes same-day care, broadened access to naloxone across the Commonwealth, and education on programs for prevention, crisis intervention, and recovery support;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize May 9, 2023, as FENTANYL AWARENESS DAY in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of our citizens.