AUSTIN, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — The month of October marks the first Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month in Texas, and the Texas Department of Public Safety took the chance to remind communities about the dangers of the deadly drug and provide important information about its public awareness campaign.

“We thank the Governor for his leadership on this issue and for making Texas a leader in this fight,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw, regarding Texas Governor Greg Abbott establishing Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month, “Fentanyl continues to be one of the biggest threats facing Texans of all ages as it flows across our southern border and into cities and towns across this country. We are losing too many innocent lives and we must continue to do everything we can not only to stop it from entering the United States, but also to educate our children, our parents, our teachers – everyone in our communities about how dangerous this drug is to every single American.”

In October, DPS said it will continue to increase awareness by launching a series of social media videos to inform Texans about the dangers of fentanyl and provide resources as part of its One Pill Kills campaign. DPS noted that in 2022, Governor Greg Abbott launched the campaign to “educate Texans on how to prevent, recognize and reverse fentanyl poisonings.”

Further, DPS said its Safety Education team will offer specific free programs to schools, churches, community groups and other organizations in the state with campaign information. The campaign has displayed presentations in more than 180 driver’s license offices across the state, educational signage in more than 350 public-facing DPS buildings and resource information on its webpage.

A Safety Education team member can be contacted here and visit the Texas DPS website for more information on the One Pill Kills campaign.