This is not fearmongering. This is data.
Dallas County fentanyl overdose deaths (Medical Examiner data):
- 2021: 427
- 2022: 539
- 2023: 612
- 2024: 580
- 2025: 548 (slight decline but still historically elevated)
Tarrant County:
- 2024: 389 fentanyl-related deaths (Tarrant County Medical Examiner)
What's happening: Fentanyl is being pressed into counterfeit pills that look exactly like Xanax, Percocet, and Adderall. A DEA analysis found that 6 out of 10 counterfeit pills seized in Texas contained a lethal dose. Source: DEA.
What parents need to know:
- Any pill not dispensed by a pharmacy could contain fentanyl
- Fentanyl test strips are legal in Texas (HB 1846, 88th Legislature, 2023)
- Narcan (naloxone) is available without a prescription at Texas pharmacies under a standing order from the Texas Commissioner of Health
Where to get free Narcan in DFW:
- Dallas County Health and Human Services: 214-819-2100
- Tarrant County Public Health: 817-321-4700
- NEXT Distro (nextdistro.org) — ships free Narcan by mail anywhere in Texas
- Many DFW libraries now stock it
How to use Narcan: Spray into one nostril. If no response in 2-3 minutes, spray into the other nostril. Call 911 immediately.
Sources:
- Dallas County Medical Examiner — annual overdose reports
- Tarrant County Medical Examiner — annual reports
- DEA — "One Pill Can Kill" campaign and pill analysis data
- Texas HB 1846 (fentanyl test strip legalization)
- Texas Health and Safety Code 483.101 (naloxone standing order)
Keep Narcan in your medicine cabinet. It has zero side effects on someone who doesn't need it and saves lives when someone does.