Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is up to 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. These drugs contribute significantly to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the United States. Fentanyl, along with other synthetics, is the leading cause of overdose deaths. Even a small amount, such as 2mg, equivalent to the tip of a pencil, can be lethal to an average American. Over 150 individuals succumb daily to overdoses linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

A poignant PSA video titled "BREATHE" unfolds as a raw first-person short film portraying high school students grappling with the fear of legal repercussions when seeking help for a friend who has overdosed by dialing 9-1-1. The main message: resist the urge to panic or run away in this situation; call 9-1-1, stay, help, and give the victim a chance.

There are various addictive and dangerous substances that people in our community may access. This newsletter intends to highlight Fentanyl, Tranq (Xylazine), and Opiates which are substances causing serious health problems in the United States. People are now able to obtain these drugs via internet sources. This process only compounds the substance abuse crisis.

The Mahwah Municipal Alliance offers a community liaison that acts as an advocate for those families and individuals struggling with addiction and substance abuse.

This week, the DEA released a Public Safety Alert warning the American public of the alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. The Public Safety Alert launches One Pill Can Kill, DEA’s new public awareness campaign to educate Americans on the dangers of counterfeit pills and how to stay safe.

The Mahwah Municipal Alliance offers a community liaison that acts as an advocate for those families and individuals struggling with addiction and substance abuse.

Learn what to do in case of an overdose and how to administer the lifesaving, overdose reversal agent known as Naloxene or Narcan. Narcan is the antidote to an opioid overdose and you can get your kit for free.

Dying in Vein is a deeply personal exploration of opiate and heroin addiction through a cinéma vérité style that drops you directly into the lives of an addict in recovery, a couple trying to get clean, a family grieving the loss of their son, and an Emergency Room Physician trying to save one patient at time. Through these stories...

A dramatic increase in overdose deaths and the abuse of heroin and prescription painkillers have become an epidemic. In Mahwah, like other municipalities in New Jersey and across the nation, we are facing an urgent public health crisis in overdose deaths, and the abuse of heroin and other prescription pain killers.

Jesse’s Journey is presented by Maureen Morella, and her two children, Jesse and Tyler.  Jesse, 19, suffered severe and irreversible brain damage after a drug overdose in November, 2004 and survives today as a quadriplegic confined to a wheel chair.

Chris Herren is former NBA basketball player, motivational speaker, author and sobriety advocate who struggled with substance abuse for much of his basketball career.