Not long ago, Virginia was awash in cheap fentanyl as America was facing an opioid crisis tantamount to a 9/11 every three weeks. As these numbers continue to improve ever since state and federal leaders began seeing the problem through a multifaceted lens, the reality remains that fentanyl abuse continues to be a crisis requiring a national mobilization of parents, law enforcement and future leaders willing to see the problem clearly and then act.
As recreational drugs become more widely available and socially tolerated, the avenue for fentanyl abuse becomes more acute. According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), over 42% of the pills tested for fentanyl contained at least 2 milligrams of the substance, considered to be a lethal dose.
Just one kilogram of fentanyl can kill up to 500,000 people. Since September 2024, 3,534 kilograms of fentanyl — nearly four tons — have been seized by U.S. Border Patrol and other law enforcement personnel. That’s enough to kill over 5 billion people, a number which underscores the seriousness of the crisis.
Most of the fentanyl coming into the United States is smuggled over our southern border with Mexico. Federal law enforcement is targeting Chinese-based firms, a main supplier, who place profit above American citizens.
Yet all of this would not be a reality if there were not a market for illicit drugs among American households. The decriminalization of marijuana and the removal of social stigmas for so-called “soft drugs” is proving to have its effect as the gateway to greater dangers. Fentanyl has found its way into harder drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamines as a means of increasing their potency without increasing cost. Yet the introduction of fentanyl into fake pills claiming to be amphetamines, oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam or MDMA creates dangerous pathways that too often lead to dead ends.
The ease of access makes the threat even more acute. Imagine parents who raise their children well, teaching them to be open and empathetic, who then find out that their children have simply bumped into a bad crowd. Or worse, elements of social media who peddle fake pills at little cost.
At the height of the crisis, overdose mortality deaths among 14- to 18-year-olds spiked by 94% between 2019 and 2020 alone. Yet thanks to the efforts of federal and state law enforcement, America is seeing a provisional 26.5% drop in fentanyl overdose deaths over a 12-month period in November 2024.
Such an achievement is remarkable, but it is only done with a clear vision of the problem and a concert of state and federal agencies working together to protect children and punish those who would prey upon young men and women.
One of the more successful nationwide initiatives is the One Pill Can Kill Initiative. DEA has successfully modeled a program that is being imitated right here in Virginia and with fantastic initial results. Already, federal and state law enforcement have interdicted the equivalent of over 81 million lethal doses of fentanyl so far in 2025.
In Virginia, warning young adults and youth about the dangers of illicit drugs and cheap pills is working, generating the single largest drop in fentanyl deaths in the nation with an estimated 41.53% drop in overdose deaths — a remarkable achievement for which Attorney General Jason Miyares and Governor Glenn Youngkin deserve much more credit for their leadership.
Yet it is Virginia First Lady Suzanne Youngkin and her It Only Takes One campaign that has added the special touch making Virginia’s effort stand out from the rest. Additionally, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth has been working hard to break the notion that substance abuse is a harmless or edgy flirtation.
August 21 marks National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, which is a reminder to all of us that the solution to the problems of drug abuse and addiction are not ultimately found in courtrooms or legislatures, but at kitchen tables and front porch steps. They are found in a certain understanding that there really are people willing to hurt others for profit. Most importantly, they are found in the uncomfortable conversations parents are willing to have with their children, so that their children can have influence with and among their peers.
The task is still before us. Nearly half of teenagers still are unaware of the very real danger fentanyl presents. Fewer still understand the policy implications of a runaway drug culture nourished by cartels and fed by foreign actors who hope to weaken America by sabotaging our youth.
The good news is that there are tools readily available for teachers, parents, businesses and community leaders to embrace and employ. Sometimes caring about the problem is the most important first step. Turning your care into action, no matter how small, just might be the spark that saves a life. Even if it doesn’t save the world, you might just help save their world, and that is no small thing to share.
Zubin Mehta is a member of the Board of Trustees at the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth and attends the Collegiate School in Richmond.
