Fox 59

Avon Police trying to raise awareness with DEA ‘One Pill Can Kill’ campaign

AVON, Ind. — Several central Indiana law enforcement agencies are warning parents and their children about the dangers of fentanyl. 

It’s all part of the DEA’s “One Pill Can Kill” campaign. The Avon Police Department is just one of many agencies trying to take a stand and raise awareness about fentanyl.

“If we can prevent even one life from being taken from these drugs, that’s our responsibility, and that’s our passion,” said Avon Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Brian Nugent.

As law enforcement across the state try to crack down on fentanyl, there is a growing concern about who might get their hands on it. Just this year, two Avon high school students lost their lives to an overdose. 

“We’re seeing families suffer terrible loss of their children,” Nugent said. “And we’re trying to do everything we can to stop that.”

That’s why Nugent said his department wants to engage the community.

“Right now we’re really just trying to get parents to understand these pills are out here,” he said. “They are out in our community. There are pills that may look at face value to be legitimate.”

The DEA reports six out of 10 fake prescription pills seized in 2022 were laced with fentanyl.

“It’s about 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine,” said Dr. Derrick Oaxaca, an Emergency Medicine Physician with Ascension St. Vincent.

A tiny amount can be lethal, but medical experts say the danger does not stop there.

“To make things even worse, fentanyl acts pretty quick,” Oaxaca said. “So you have a lot of people that suffer from Opioid Use Disorder that use fentanyl that don’t have time to respond or react to the effect.”

Avon police say the “One Pill Can Kill” campaign is about getting ahead of the problem.

“The biggest issue we want to stress to parents is have the courage to have these discussions with their children,” Nugent said.

The department has even brought the topic to local schools. Nugent said Avon Police plan to keep engaging with schools as well as local mental health and addiction specialists.

Parents can learn more about fentanyl here on the DEA’s website.