Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Rx Awareness and Stop Overdose Education Campaigns

Drug overdoses have claimed nearly 900,000 lives over the past 20 years in the United States. Recent studies show that drug overdose deaths accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, outpacing overdose death rates from any previous year. And, illegal drugs are more potent than ever before as many can be mixed or laced with fentanyl, without a person’s knowledge. Synthetic opioids, such as illicitly manufactured fentanyl, continue to contribute to the majority of opioid-involved overdose deaths.

With drug overdose continuing to be a major public health issue, CDC developed five evidence-based education campaigns to reduce and prevent overdose. The Rx Awareness campaign focuses on adults ages 25-54 and the four campaigns under the Stop Overdose Initiative focus on reaching young adults ages 18 to 34. These education campaigns provide critical information about the:

*Risks of prescription opioids being addictive and dangerous
*Risks and consequences of mixing drugs
*Dangers of fentanyl
*Life-saving power of naloxone (a medication that can help reverse the effects of an opioid overdose)
*Importance of reducing stigma to support treatment and recovery

For more information about CDC’s Stop Overdose education campaigns, visit www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose
For more information about CDC’s Rx Awareness education campaign, visit www.cdc.gov/rxawareness