The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division is taking the One Pill Can Kill message to new heights with a billboard placed along Interstate 80 in Omaha, emphasizing the deadly consequences of fake pills laced with fentanyl.
Vehicles traveling east on Interstate 80 will see the 14×48 foot billboard along the 36th Street exit with what looks like a prescription pill cut and crushed alongside the message “One Pill Can Kill.” A red circle outlines a small piece of the crushed pill, with text reminding viewers that, “Trace amounts of fentanyl can be lethal.”
“We’ll take any opportunity we can to further spread the message about the dangers of fentanyl and fake pills,” DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Steven T. Bell said. “The image on the billboard should give people pause, make people think, and hopefully, strike up a discussion about the consequences that can come from taking a fake pill.”
Two milligrams of fentanyl, small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil, is considered a lethal dose. Laboratory testing indicates that 7 out of every 10 pills seized by the DEA contain a lethal dose of fentanyl. Through November 1, DEA has seized nearly 43 million fentanyl pills nationwide, with investigators in Nebraska taking nearly 80,000 fake pills off the streets.
“We need people to understand that there’s no way of knowing just how much fentanyl is in a pill or even where the fentanyl is located within that pill,” Bell said. “It’s not just one pill that can kill, but a fraction of a pill.”
The DEA Omaha Division encourages family members, friends and community groups to learn more about the dangers of fentanyl and help raise awareness to the significant threat of fake pills. For more information on fentanyl and fake pills laced with fentanyl, visit dea.gov/OnePill.
The One Pill Can Kill billboard will be along Interstate 80 through December 15.