MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) -- The drug epidemic in the United States is out of control. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there were over 105,000 overdose deaths in the 12-month period that ended last February.
Those staggering numbers were relevant to the observance of the third annual Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day across the United States.
Nothing dramatizes the warnings of drug abuse better than seeing the faces of those who died from overdoses. That's how Fentanyl Awareness Day was observed in New York's Times Square.
A six-story high billboard projected the images of young people who have overdosed or were poisoned by illicit opioids like Fentanyl.
In Father Duffey Square, more than 100 people gathered, many of them mothers and fathers of children they lost to drug abuse. They held pictures of their sons and daughters and stood solemn-faced as speakers talked about the drug epidemic gripping the country.
"This is not a war on drugs; this is a fight to save lives," Special Agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Agency in New York, Frank Tarantino, noted.
Fentanyl is considered the deadliest of the synthetic drugs. Often, it is mixed with other drugs without the knowledge of those who are using it.
"We are suffering a 911 event every two weeks in this country. An average of 22 adolescents 14 to 18 die in the US each week from drug overdoses," James Puerta, co-chair of the nonprofit group "Facing Fentanyl," told the gathering.
Reports that 98% of the world's fentanyl supply is coming from China and that drug enforcement agents are making more arrests were of little solace to family members who lost loved ones to the poisonous drugs.
Michelle Stadick's son Riley was 21 years old when he overdosed on fentanyl.
"He was my hero. He was a great kid. I admired him. When a child dies, it changes your life forever. It's not fair, it's horrible, it's the worst thing in the world that can happen to a parent," Stadick said.
Kamal Bherwani's 22-year-old son Ethan succumbed two years ago.
"Every day is heartbreaking when you lose a child," she said haltingly, adding, "He had no idea he was taking fentanyl. He was out celebrating his graduation with friends, and he never came back home."
Sheila Mullins' son Nathaniel was 34. It was exactly one year ago that she learned about his death.
"It was a heartbreaking call that changed my life. I miss my son terribly. He was a respectful person. It could hit anybody," she said.
Data has shown that fentanyl has been involved in more deaths of Americans under 50 than any other cause of death, including heart disease, cancer and other illnesses. The day's message is a simple warning that one pill can kill.
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