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What is fentanyl?


What is fentanyl?

First, what is fentanyl? Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug approved by the FDA for use as a pain reliever and anesthetic. Fentanyl can be diverted, misused, and abused, as well as manufactured illegally. It has a variety of street names such as …..


Consumers and the general public are scared of fentanyl. A recent study was completed in Massachusetts which surveyed drug users and almost all of them knew of fentanyl and how dangerous it is. Fentanyl is a dangerous opioid medication if misused or abused. It is so dangerous because it is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. This is drastic. Only a small dose of fentanyl can kill someone and this is frightening to think about. We need to do more about fentanyl! Since fentanyl can be used legally if prescribed by a doctor, drug users can obtain it through diversion or purchased illegally. It is diverted by theft, fraudulent prescriptions, and illicit distribution. Often, fentanyl is mixed with other illicit drugs such as heroin and/or cocaine as a combination product — with or without the user’s knowledge which can have fatal consequences.


Fatal overdoses associated with fentanyl and law enforcement encounters have increased dramatically. There has also been a re-emergence of trafficking, distribution, and abuse of illicitly produced fentanyl in conjunction with an increase in overdose fatalities. So what can we do about this? Due to the increase in fentanyl overdoses, the CDC recommends specific action to be taken to address the fentanyl crisis. Such action includes: improving detection of fentanyl outbreaks, exploring methods for more rapidly detecting drug overdose outbreaks, drug screening for fentanyl in suspected opioid overdose cases, and involving law enforcement. Law enforcement plays an important role in identifying and responding to increases in the distribution and use of illegally-made fentanyl.


Besides the CDC recommendations, we also need to educate the public on the dangers of fentanyl. Educating your audience can be done with live training, distributing information within public school systems, signage, tv and digital commercials, and it can also be done through online learning. Online learning tools such as READINESS  are excellent tools to help many different public audiences learn about fentanyl dangers.  To learn more about fentanyl, utilize different resources such as the CDC, SAMHSA, DEA, local law enforcement, or your community’s online learning center.


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READINESS develops and hosts custom opioid eLearning centers for health systems, pharmacies, and organizations to support opioid stewardship and education initiatives. Offer your community an intuitive and accessible eLearning center to support opioid education and awareness.Opioid Computer Image.png


1. TECHNOLOGY: Provide a customized learning platform (eLearning Center), branded to your organization, and filled with relevant opioid educational activities.

2. CUSTOM OPIOID ACTIVITIES: Host your opioid learning material (videos, pdf’s, slide decks, etc) as engaging activities within your opioid eLearning center.

3. OPIOID ACTIVITY LIBRARY: Select from more than 60 pre-existing opioid activities to expand your opioid eLearning center content for maximum learner engagement.

4. DATA & REPORTING: Access a comprehensive reporting suite to assess learner engagement and monitor activity starts and completions.


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Search Terms: Leaders in Opioid Stewardship Resources, Opioid Education Platforms, Community Outreach Technology, Opioid Task Force Support, Rural & Urban Opioid Learning Tools, Opioid Education Grant Support, and Tools to Combat the Opioid Epidemic.

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Opioid Stewardship & Drug Diversion Prevention