For Educators
Deadly counterfeit pills made with fentanyl and other substances have poisoned Americans in all walks of life, many of whom had no idea that the pills they were taking weren’t “the real thing.”
Victims in their teens and 20s have been disproportionately affected, and it is incredibly important that they know that fake prescription pills are out there, and one pill could cost them their lives.
Educators play a crucial role in getting this information to students, but they need tools to do it. This page gathers examples of toolkits for middle school through college age students. You can use these kits to develop educational material for your institution.
If you're a parent who wants their school to adopt a curriculum visit Song For Charlie's Working with Schools page for strategies.
Song for Charlie works with experts, educators, parents and other influencers to raise awareness about counterfeit fentanyl pills. Ed and Mary Ternan founded the nonprofit after a fake pill killed their son and they realized that young people had no idea about the scope of the problem.
Middle school
"Fake & Fatal," developed by the Beaverton, Oregon School District
Specifically focused on the danger of buying pills on the Internet.
Watch Cal's Story.
Song for Charlie's "Fake Pill Awareness Middle and High School Tool Kit"
Intended for school districts, middle schools, high schools, and other organizations interested in raising awareness of the dangers of fake prescription pills.
High school & up
"Fake & Fatal," developed by the Beaverton, Oregon School District
Specifically focused on the danger of buying pills on the Internet.
Song for Charlie's "Fake Pill Awareness Middle and High School Tool Kit"
Intended for school districts, middle schools, high schools, and other organizations interested in raising awareness of the dangers of fake prescription pills.
You Think You Know is a campaign of the Connecticut Prevention Network
A collection of resources for educators focused on young people's misuse of drugs and the risks of counterfeit pills. Consult all the resources here.
Vancouver [Canada] School Board's School Age Children and Youth (SACY)
General fentanyl awareness, including counterfeit pills
- Fentanyl Awareness Video (a very dense five minutes)
Generation Rx toolkit by the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy and the Cardinal Health Foundation
Education about medicine safety and the dangers of prescription drug misuse, rather than counterfeit prescription medicine.
Operation Prevention, a project of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Discovery Education
The Counterfeit Drugs page, which is aimed at high school students explains what counterfeit drugs are, how they work, and why they are so harmful to individuals and communities.
stand-alone materials
One-Pagers
- Drug Fact Sheet on Counterfeit Pills - Drug Enforcement Administration
- Fentanyl Warning for Parents and Students - Public Health Seattle and King County
- Fentanyl Overdose Risk Health Alert - Marin Community College District
- Back to School Flyers, Facts About Fentanyl, Current Data - Song for Charlie
Videos / PSAs
- Fake Pills Shatter Central Valley Families - Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health with Travis Jacobson's family
- Real Talk about Counterfeit Pills - Song for Charlie
- Pressed pills PSA - Change the Outcome
- What is Fentanyl? Answers from Public Health - Public Health Seattle and King County
- Smart Moves Smart Choices - National Association of School Nurses
Helpful Websites
- Laced & Lethal - Information about fentanyl in pills and powders, King County, Washington