DEA puts fentanyl into focus as data shows drug overdoses now #1 killer of Americans 18-45

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Wednesday marked National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, and the DEA put the faces of thousands of lives taken by the powerful opioid into focus in the heart of New York City's Times Square -- one of them was Trevor Leopold.

He died of an accidental overdose in 2019 while a freshman at Sonoma State University.

"If we just make a difference for one person that's all that really matters," said Michelle Leopold, who turned into a fierce activist after her son's death. The Marin County mother has partnered with public health departments across the Bay Area, hosting naloxone training events and countless speaking engagements - most recently returning to Sonoma State.

"We got to talk to the incoming freshman students and transfer students about Trevor's life. At the end, we asked "who learned something from this talk?" and they all put their hands," said Leopold.

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And, the DEA wants more parents to do more talking. "Today is the perfect day to have that conversation with your kids," said Bob Beris, acting special agent in charge at the San Francisco field office.

The DEA points to latest data from the CDC showing drug overdoses are now the number one killer of Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.

"Let them know how deadly it is. It really is one pill can kill," said Beris, noting the drug is easier to access than ever. "Social media is now a superhighway for fentanyl distribution."

The DEA says cartel members and street dealers are using encrypted apps to advertise, organize delivery, and get paid all one device.

"You need to know what they're doing on social media. These are people who are targeting them they look at them as profit," explained Beris, noting 7 out of 10 pills tested by the DEA have potentially lethal doses of fentanyl. "You have to know if you're buying a pill on social media, its not going to be legitimate - it's going to be a fentanyl pill."