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FentFacts

Fentanyl is a powerful opioid, like heroin or morphine. It's used to treat severe pain, like after surgery. But fentanyl can be 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. As a result, just a few grains of fentanyl can cause a fatal overdose.

Where to get naloxone (Narcan)

Naloxone is available by mail:
The Santa Clara County Opioid Overdose Prevention Project (SCCOOPP) has launched a mail-order program to expand outreach to those interested in being trained to carry and use naloxone. This program is available to anyone aged 18 and over; it will provide a link to a naloxone training video, a QR code (on each box of naloxone) and a packet of information on naloxone and opioid overdose. If you or anyone you know is interested in this program or have additional questions, please contact us by phone at 408-272-6055 or email at [email protected].

Naloxone nasal spray is available at these County clinics:

Central Valley Clinic
Central Valley Clinic

2425 Enborg Lane
San Jose, CA 95128
United States

Alexian Behavioral Health Clinic
Alexian Health Clinic

2101 Alexian Drive
Suite A/B
San Jose, CA 95116
United States

Behavioral Health South County Clinic
South County Clinic

90 Highland Avenue
Building J
San Martin, CA 95054
United States

Overdose prevention and naloxone training

If you see someone showing signs of an overdose, you could save a life with these steps:

1. Call 911 right away.
2. Stay with the person until help arrives.
3. Give them naloxone (Narcan®) if you have it.

Naloxone (Narcan) is safe to use on children who are experiencing an overdose or poisoning.
Under California law, any person is allowed to use naloxone (Narcan) on someone in an emergency where they need it.

The numbers

109,000
Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2022
Almost 72,000 involved illegal fentanyl. On average, 22 young people ages 14 to 18 die from drug overdoses every week, mostly from fake pills with fentanyl in them.
California Overdose Surveillance Dashboard
863
Overdose deaths. 617 involved fentanyl since 2018 in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County Medical-Examiner Coroner's Dashboard
201
Fentanyl deaths in 2023 in Santa Clara County
Fentanyl has been involved in the deaths across age groups, even infants.
Santa Clara County Medical-Examiner Coroner's Dashboard

The situation

Like other opioids, fentanyl is extremely addictive. Because of this, dealers mix fentanyl into other drugs like cocaine, ecstasy/molly, Adderall, Xanax, meth, heroin, and painkillers (OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet, and others).

How accidental fentanyl overdoses have hit our communities

It can be in powders, liquids, and pills. It's common for dealers to sell pills, especially on Snapchat and Instagram, that look real but are actually fake and laced with fentanyl. The trend has led to young people in our communities dying from accidental overdoses.

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Save a life

Learning more about fentanyl and how to avoid it is the first step to save a life. But there are more ways to help. Knowing how to recognize a fentanyl overdose is one of them.