Texas frontier business
AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today highlighted new data released by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) showing a nearly 20% drop in fentanyl poisoning deaths over the past year. In the Texas Fentanyl Dashboard, new DSHS data shows that at least 430 fewer Texans died of a fentanyl-related poisoning in the past 12 months compared to last year.
Texas launched our comprehensive ‘One Pills Kills’ campaign in 2021 to raise awareness and educate Texans about the dangers of fentanyl, and we’re seeing a positive impact on the lives of Texans,” said Governor Abbott. “From leading state agencies to stepped up their anti-fentanyl efforts, passing and signing critical legislation to curb the fentanyl epidemic, to launching a multimedia campaign that garnered over 1.5 billion impressions, to partnering with college football coaches to raise awareness in schools high school. football games, our statewide efforts have helped reduce fentanyl poisoning deaths in Texans this past year. And thanks to people across our great state who are joining us in this fight and having open conversations with loved ones. their for this deadly drug, we are saving lives. Texas will continue to fight this statewide crisis to protect more innocent lives from the scourge of fentanyl.”
DSHS data shows that more than 1,900 Texans died of fentanyl poisoning from August 2023 to July 2024 compared to more than 2,360 in the previous 12 months. The reductions come after five years of growth, which saw fentanyl poisoning deaths in Texas rise over 600% from 2019 to 2023, claiming the lives of more than 7,000 innocent Texans in just four years. These data are provisional and subject to change.
Last year, Governor Abbott unveiled the Texas Fentanyl Dashboard as part of the “One Pill Kills” campaign to provide the public with easily accessible information about the dangers of fentanyl over time, along with breakdowns by age, gender and geography.
Earlier this month, Governor Abbott issued a proclamation declaring October 2024 as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month. The governor also partnered with Texas college football coaches to unveil a new One Pill Kills video that is being played at high school football games across the state during Friday Night Lights to increase awareness and education among Texas youth. about the deadly effects of fentanyl.
Last year, Governor Abbott signed four major pieces of legislation to combat the growing national fentanyl crisis:
House Bill 6 (Goldman/Huffman) creates a criminal offense of murder for the supply of fentanyl resulting in death, increases the criminal penalty for manufacturing or distributing fentanyl, and requires that deaths caused by fentanyl be defined as fentanyl toxicity or fentanyl poisoning. fentanyl on a death certificate. Current law does not require such a classification on a death certificate, with most fentanyl-related deaths currently classified as overdose.
House Bill 3144 (Lujan/Campbell) designates October as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month to help raise awareness of the dangers of fentanyl.
House Bill 3908 (Wilson/Creighton), also known as Tucker’s Law, requires public schools to annually provide research-based instruction on fentanyl abuse prevention and drug poisoning awareness to students grades 6 through 12. The bill also requires the Governor to designate a Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Week.
Senate Bill 867 (West/Rose) allows the distribution of opioid antagonists, including the life-saving NARCAN, to Texas colleges and universities to prevent opioid poisonings.
