One Pill Will Kill
Resource
FentanylCommercialOnePillCampaign.jpg
Merced County Office of Education and the Merced County District Attorney's Office have teamed up to help educate students about the dangers of Fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic, manmade opiate that is easily produced in a lab or on the streets, it is less expensive than other opiates, highly addictive and is killing people in the community.
What is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid.
- Potent: Up to 50x stronger than heroin and 100x stronger than morphine. Even small doses can be lethal.
- Synthetic: Not plant-based — made in a lab.
- Opioid: Pain reliever like oxycodone, morphine and heroin.
There are two types of fentanyl: pharmaceutical fentanyl and illicitly manufactured fentanyl (illicit fentanyl).
Pharmaceutical fentanyl is prescribed by doctors to treat severe pain, for and after surgery, or advanced-stage cancer.
Illicit fentanyl is an ingredient added to other drugs to make them more powerful and cheaper to produce. It is tasteless, odorless and nearly impossible to identify, which increases the likelihood of an accidental overdose.
|
Pharmaceutical |
Illicitly Manufactured Fentanyl |
|---|---|
| Made in a sterile factory | Made in unsanitary conditions |
| Carefully blended | Sloppy mixing |
| Dose is precise and consistent | Dose is random and variable |
| Carefully administered by doctors | Hidden in the drug supply |
| Legitimate medical uses | Increases drug dealer profits |
| Death is uncommon when taken as prescribed by a doctor | Involved in the majority of US drug deaths in recent years |
Impact in Merced County
In 2024, 26 fatal overdoses were reported in Merced County and 49 non-fatal overdoses.
Purchasing any type of drug online, through social media or friends, can unknowingly contain dangerous amounts of fentanyl.
Merced County Seizures
-
145,435 fentanyl pills seized
-
7.2 pounds of powder seized
-
48 arrests
Statewide Fentanyl Seizures*
-
15,631,905 fentanyl pills seized
-
6,875 pounds of powder seized
-
530 arrests
*Data reflects fentanyl related arrests and seizures as reported by the Office of the Attorney General from April 2022 through May 2025.
105,516 people in the United States died of drug overdoses and drug poisonings in the 12-month period ending in January 2024. More than half of those deaths involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Additional Resources
One Pill Will Kill Commercial Competition
View the two winning videos from Los Banos Valley Community School and Hilmar High School