DEA Recognizes 2025 National Fentanyl Awareness Day with Debut of Faces of Fentanyl Online Exhibit
WASHINGTON – DEA proudly joins community organizations, law enforcement, and public health partners in recognizing National Fentanyl Awareness Day on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Fentanyl is the greatest drug threat facing the United States as drug-related overdoses remain the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18-44.[1]
DEA will recognize National Fentanyl Awareness Day with extended DEA Museum hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. this coming Tuesday. The Faces of Fentanyl memorial exhibit, located at the Museum at DEA Headquarters in Arlington, VA, displays more than 7,000 photos of people whose lives have been lost to fentanyl. This year, DEA has enhanced the physical exhibit with the creation of a new, interactive online exhibit that can be accessed at www.dea.gov/facesoffentanyl.
The Faces of Fentanyl memorial exhibit is a representation of the faces of America. The exhibit includes athletes, first responders, students, and young professionals, among others. The oldest person in the exhibit is 89 years old, while the youngest victim didn’t make it to his first birthday. The exhibit has become a place of solace for families affected by fentanyl and has brought a heightened sense of awareness to the severity of the fentanyl crisis for those experiencing the exhibit for the first time.
“The Faces of Fentanyl exhibit is a reminder that our work against these dangerous criminal organizations is far from over. The families affected by fentanyl deserve justice, and that is what the men and women of DEA strive to deliver every day,” said Acting Administrator Derek S. Maltz. “On National Fentanyl Awareness Day we remember those we’ve lost, we hold our Angel parents tight, and we turn up the heat in our fight against evil. We are strongest when we work together, so join us in stepping up, speaking out, and fighting back against fentanyl.”
The fentanyl crisis has touched every corner of the country, and no community has been immune. The memorial exhibit serves as a powerful testament of the deadliest drug threat our nation has ever faced. In 2023, more than 105,000 Americans died from drug poisonings, nearly 70% of those deaths were attributed to synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl. Recent provisional data from CDC's National Vital Statistics System predicts a nearly 26.5% decline in drug overdose deaths year over year, which is promising news. Still, DEA encourages the public to remain vigilant about the risks involved with synthetic drugs and the extreme threat of fentanyl in our communities:
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is approximately 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Just two milligrams, the equivalent of a few grains of salt—is a potentially lethal dose.
The Sinaloa and CJNG cartels are hiding fentanyl in fake pills that look like prescription medications, such as oxycodone (Percocet), alprazolam (Xanax), and hydrocodone (Vicodin). The cartels are also mixing fentanyl powder into other drugs, including cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
The cartels, their members, and their associates continue using social media applications and encrypted communications platforms to sell pills and powders that are advertised as legitimate medications or other substances but contain fentanyl.
The only safe medications are ones that come from licensed and accredited medical professionals.
If you would like to submit a photo of your loved one to be included in the Faces of Fentanyl memorial exhibit, visit www.dea.gov/facesoffentanyl.
The DEA Museum and Faces of Fentanyl memorial exhibit are open to the public at no charge Tuesdays through Saturdays at 700 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA, 22202. More information on the Museum is available at www.deamuseum.org. There is metered street parking around the building and a parking garage at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City across the street.
The DEA encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.JustThinkTwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com, www.CampusDrugPrevention.gov, and www.dea.gov . For more information on fentanyl, visit DEA’s One Pill Can Kill Campaign at www.dea.gov/onepill. The materials on this website are available for public use.
Follow DEA Atlanta on X and Instagram at @DEAATLANTADiv.
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