A FREE community “Fentanyl Awareness Safety Fair” will be held by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office in partnership with the Sacramento County Department of Health Services, Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Services.

WHEN: Saturday, November 6 ~ 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: State Capitol North Lawn

SPEAKERS: District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, Assistant Chief Deputy DA Thien Ho, Behavioral Health Services Director Dr. Ryan Quist, Acting US Attorney Phillip Talbert, Sacramento County Board Supervisors Rich Desmond and Patrick Kennedy, and surviving family members

FEATURES: Narcan demonstrations, free Narcan kits, 25+ community organization resources and gift card giveaways

The national fentanyl epidemic has hit the Sacramento community, and has increased during the pandemic. People in Sacramento are now dying from fentanyl poisoning at higher rates than firearm-related homicides. These tragic deaths affect all backgrounds and age groups – starting with young kids.

The safety fair is part of a countywide “1 Pill Can Kill” fentanyl awareness campaign to alert the community about the epidemic of fentanyl related deaths, based in large part on counterfeit prescription pills which contain fentanyl.

The DA’s Crime Lab, which tests all narcotics seized by local law enforcement agencies, found that 97% of pills on the street are counterfeit. Of those pills, 97% contained fentanyl. The Crime Lab is discovering an alarming rate of counterfeit Oxycodone, OxyContin, Percocet, Xanax and Adderall pills – which are all virtually impossible to distinguish from a prescription pill.

“In Sacramento, we are experiencing a high rate of fentanyl-related deaths and our Crime Lab data shows that virtually all of the pills seized on our streets are fake and contain fentanyl.  This staggering data should serve as a wake-up call for our community,” said DA Schubert. “This epidemic will take an entire community to address. With the support and partnership of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, County Executive Ann Edwards and the Department of Health Services – I am confident we will save lives by informing the public about the deadly fentanyl epidemic.”

1PillCankKillSac.com/Events

For pre-event interviews and day-of event media coverage, please contact Shelly Orio orios@sacda.org.

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