RICHMOND, Va. — First Lady of Virginia Suzanne Youngkin is teaming up with New Jersey's First Lady Tammy Murphy to rally First Spouses across the nation in an effort to highlight the dangers of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
The pair announced the initiative this week, in light of National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day on Wednesday. The effort is meant as a call to action, asking First Spouses to lend their voices and platforms to the national effort to save lives through awareness and education.
A statement from the Youngkin's office says along with public figures from throughout the Commonwealth, a majority of First Spouses have chosen to answer that call. They've committed to taking meaningful actions, like flying flags at half-staff and lighting buildings in purple -- the color associated with recovery – to honor those lives lost to the fentanyl crisis, and prevent further harm.
“I am proud to join with First Lady Youngkin and first spouses from every corner of our country to raise awareness and amplify tools to fight this crisis," said First Lady Tammy Murphy. "We have had enough of watching mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, grandparents, friends and extended family members experience the loss of their loved ones to preventable drug overdoses."
Public health experts attribute a majority of drug deaths to fentanyl. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, making it deadly even in small doses.
Illegal fentanyl is also added to other drugs, increasing the risk of overdose as many are exposed to the substance unknowingly. So far this year, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has seized 33 million pounds of fentanyl-laced fake pills.
The Virginia Department of Health reports that an average of seven Virginians died of an overdose every day in 2022. Nearly 80% of those deaths involved fentanyl, or similar drugs.
That same year saw more than 70,000 fentanyl deaths were recorded nationwide.
"We know that it only takes one conversation to change the course of someone’s life," said First Lady Suzanne Youngkin. "We are calling on every American to join us in this critical effort to prevent further tragedies."
