1 Pill Can Kill Placer launches teen peer-to-peer effort

High school students throughout Placer County to participate in the Teen Social Share Challenge, spreading awareness about fentanyl poisoning

Published May 10, 2022

In recognition of the inaugural National Fentanyl Awareness Day, Placer County Health and Human Services today announced  the launch of 1 Pill Can Kill Placer’s “Teen Social Share Challenge” – a three-week challenge for high school students in Placer County. The program’s goal is to address the increasing local fentanyl poisoning crisis through peer-to-peer social media sharing.

The social share challenge is a chance for students to have an impact on their peers, and spread awareness about lethal fentanyl lurking in fake prescription pills often bought through social media.

Beginning Monday, May 16, 2022, students can visit www.1PillCanKillPlacer.com/challenge each week to answer three quick questions aimed to educate them about fentanyl poisoning. They will then have access to a social media graphic or video with post copy to download and share on their own social media channels using the hashtag #1PillCanKillPlacer.  

By completing a quiz, students will be entered for the chance to win a $100 Visa gift card. They will then have the opportunity to post on their social media pages for chances to win a $500 Visa gift card. Each week’s new quiz and social content will count as additional entries. If students participate in all three weeks and keep the social posts up for the duration of the challenge, they will be given two bonus entries for a $500 Visa gift card. The last day to participate will be Sunday, June 5, at 11:59 p.m. Winners will be contacted and posted on the campaign website by Friday, June 10. For complete contest rules and restrictions, visit www.1PillCanKillPlacer.com/challenge.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is cheap to produce, difficult to detect and extremely powerful. Most illicit fentanyl is being smuggled into the United States from China and Mexico. Black market dealers are manufacturing fake pills made of fentanyl – or “fentapills” – made to look like Percocet, Oxycodone or Xanax, and selling these pills to unsuspecting customers through social media and money transfer apps. It takes only 2 milligrams of fentanyl to be considered a lethal dose.

Partners of the broader 1 Pill Can Kill Placer campaign include: Placer County District Attorney's Office, Placer County Sheriff's Office, Placer County Health and Human Services, Placer County Office of Education, Placer County Probation, Placer Community Foundation, Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, Granite Wellness Centers, Raising Placer, Placer-Nevada Rx Drug Safety Coalition, Tahoe Truckee Future Without Drug Dependence, and the Gateway Mountain Center.

Visa gift cards for the effort are provided by Placer Community Foundation, a philanthropic nonprofit serving the region.