Governor Abbott, Texas College Football Coaches Unveil New One Pill Kills Video
Governor Greg Abbott today unveiled a new One Pill Kills video that will play at high school football games across the state tonight during Friday Night Lights for Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month.
The Governor alongside Texas Tech University Head Football Coach Joey McGuire, Texas A&M University Head Football Coach Mike Elko, University of Texas Head Football Coach Steve Sarkisian, and University of Houston Head Football Coach Willie Fritz came together in a new video to raise awareness and educate young Texans about the deadly consequences of fentanyl. As part of Texas' comprehensive "One Pill Kills" campaign, the fentanyl awareness video will be played at Friday night high school football games across Texas during the month of October.
WATCH: Governor Abbott, Texas College Football Coaches To Young Texans: One Pill Kills
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
There is a growing danger in our communities and schools. Fentanyl.
It has claimed the live of thousands of innocent Americans and is now the leading cause of death in young adults.
One of the best ways to prevent tragic fentanyl deaths is through education.
Just one pill kills.
That’s why you should only take prescription medication specifically for you and filled in a pharmacy.
Never take a pill you got from a friend or on social media.
Just a few grains of salt worth of fentanyl is enough to kill you and take you away from your loved ones.
You can’t see it, you can’t taste it, and you don’t know if it’s there.
So please, learn about the dangers of this deadly drug.
Talk to your parents, your friends, your teammates, and remember, what we do today may save the life of someone you know tomorrow.
“Fentanyl is a clandestine killer that continues to rip away loved ones, leaving behind unimaginable grief,” said Governor Abbott. “To ensure all Texans, particularly our young students, know about the dangers of this deadly drug, I partnered with Coaches Joey McGuire, Mike Elko, Steve Sarkisian, and Willie Fritz to raise awareness during high school football games across Texas for Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month. Texas continues to develop new, innovative ways to fight back against the fentanyl crisis and to save countless lives from this growing threat.”
Fentanyl is the leading killer of Americans ages 18-45. Fentanyl-related deaths in Texas increased over 600% from 2019 to 2023, taking the lives of more than 7,000 innocent Texans in just four years. Knowing how to recognize the signs of fentanyl poisoning and having open conversations about the dangers of fentanyl can help save a life.
Earlier this week, the Governor issued a proclamation declaring October 2024 as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month to raise awareness and educate Texans about the dangers of fentanyl to save more lives.
Last year, Governor Abbott signed four pivotal laws to combat the growing national fentanyl crisis:
House Bill 6 (Goldman/Huffman) creates a criminal offense of murder for supplying fentanyl that results in death, enhances the criminal penalty for the manufacturing or delivery of fentanyl, and requires deaths caused by fentanyl to be designated as fentanyl toxicity or fentanyl poisoning on a death certificate. Current law does not require such classification on a death certificate, with most fentanyl-related deaths currently classified as an overdose.
House Bill 3144 (Lujan/Campbell) establishes October as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month to help increase awareness of the dangers of fentanyl.
House Bill 3908 (Wilson/Creighton), also known as Tucker’s Law, requires public schools each year to provide research-based instruction on fentanyl abuse prevention and drug poisoning awareness to students grades 6 through 12. The bill also requires the Governor to designate a Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Week.
Senate Bill 867 (West/Rose) allows the distribution of opioid antagonists, including life-saving NARCAN, to Texas colleges and universities to prevent opioid poisonings.