FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin launched the One Pill Can Kill campaign, a new initiative aimed at combating the fentanyl epidemic.
"One pill laced with fentanyl can kill you, and it is an imminent threat to not only students but communities all over the United States," Griffin said at a press conference Tuesday.
The purpose of the new campaign is to educate college students about the dangers of fentanyl while giving them tools to combat it.
"There is fentanyl here on campus," Griffin said. "It's on every campus in the United States. It's at every SEC school and every non-SEC school. It's in the dorms. It's in fraternity houses and sorority houses. It's everywhere ... This is everyone's problem."
As a part of this plan, student leaders are being educated about the dangers of fentanyl, how to recognize signs of an overdose, how to use testing strips to ensure that medications or beverages haven't been laced with fentanyl, and how to administer Narcan.
"There's prevention," Griffin said. "The best thing that can happen is no one ever tries it because we've educated them and they know don't touch it. And lastly, for those who have struggled with it, we get them help with their addiction ... That's sort of the range of effort."
However, according to preliminary data from the National Center for Health Statistics, drug overdoses in Arkansas are down 13%. Griffin said he wants to keep it that way.
"The Attorney General's Office has funds that we obtain through opioid settlements, and I am seeking to use those funds they have to be used for opioid abatement," Griffin said. "As I scour the state for different ways to use it, in some cases, we want to use it for long-term strategic goals."
For example, Griffin said his office has committed $50 million to the Arkansas Children's Hospital to begin the National Center for Opioid Research & Clinical Effectiveness (NCOR).
Griffin said some of the opioid settlement funds will also go toward harm-prevention kits for the University of Arkansas. These will include funding for student training, fentanyl testing strips, and naloxone vending machines. The naloxone vending machine will be on the University of Arkansas's campus at the Pat Walker Health Center. Griffin said there is no set installment date yet.
Although this initiative is starting at the University of Arkansas, Griffin plans to take it statewide.
"This initiative will be statewide, but we are starting at the University of Arkansas campus here in Fayetteville," Griffin said. "I am extremely grateful for the cooperation and support of Chancellor Charles Robinson and the university staff. The training and resources offered by the One Pill Can Kill initiative will save lives."
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