Last Updated on April 30, 2025 by BVN
Breanna Reeves
As April 29 marks Fentanyl Awareness Day, California continues to address the fentanyl crisis across the state as part of the governor’s Master Plan for Tackling the Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid and is described as being up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. The odorless, tasteless drug is known to be mixed in with other drugs, undetected.
In 2023, there were over 7,000 fentanyl-related overdose deaths across the state. According to Dr. Shauna Simon with the Substance and Addiction Prevention Branch of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), there was a 15% increase in the rate of fentanyl-related overdose deaths in California from 2022 to 2023.
Javon Williams, based in Sacramento, knows the dangers of fentanyl and the impact ingesting the drug can have.
In February 2020, Williams lost her son, Lamont Meyers, who was 19 at the time, to fentanyl poisoning. At the time, Williams had never even heard of fentanyl.
In 2023, there were 1,011 fentanyl-related overdose deaths across Black communities in the state — a 35 percent increase from 2022, according to the most recent data. Across California’s Latino/Hispanic community there was an 11.5% increase from 2022 to 2023, with 2,304 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in 2023.
“After just seeing countless others…just dying, I’m on a mission to help to prevent that, or to help stop it because no one should lose their life, especially to a drug that you don’t even know that you were given,” Williams explained.
In his memory, his family started the Lamont Meyers Foundation, an organization that aims to educate and raise awareness about fentanyl poisoning and provide access to Narcan kits. Narcan, also referred to as naloxone, is a nasal spray medication used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The Foundation’s goal revolves around raising funds to acquire and distribute 19,000 Narcan kits — the number symbolizing Lamont’s age at the time of his passing.
Williams participates in community outreach efforts by going into communities and handing out Narcan kits, leading Narcan training and sharing her story to raise awareness.
In 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved over-the-counter (OTC) naloxone nasal spray which can be purchased directly by people at drug stores, grocery stores and gas stations, and online.
However, Narcan’s starting price begins at $44. To address potential cost barriers to accessing the life-saving medication, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on April 21 that residents can purchase the medication at a discounted rate of $24 directly through the state’s California’s CalRX® Naloxone Access Initiative.
“Life-saving medications shouldn’t come with a life-altering price tag. CalRx is about making essential drugs like naloxone affordable and accessible for all — not the privileged few,” Newsom stated in a press statement. “California is using our market power as the 5th largest economy in the world to disrupt a billion-dollar industry to save lives…and we’re just getting started.”
Anyone living in California can now visit the CalRx website to purchase an individual twin-pack of naloxone HCL 4 mg nasal spray for $24, plus tax and shipping costs.
Last year, the CDPH launched a state-wide campaign called “Facts Fight Fentanyl,” which aims to educate the public about the dangers of fentanyl use, share resources and educate residents on how to use Narcan in the event of a fentanyl overdose.
“We can increase awareness by having tough conversations with each other and making sure our friends, loved ones, and neighbors know the facts about fentanyl and naloxone,” Dr. Simon said via email. “The best way to prevent overdoses is to know the facts, look out for each other, and learn how to access, carry, and use naloxone.”
San Bernardino County also launched an awareness campaign called “Fentanyl Doesn’t care. But We Do” as part of the county’s Fentanyl Awareness Initiative. The county offers free Narcan to residents who complete an online Narcan education training.
Williams said educating children and teens about the dangers of fentanyl is important as kids begin to normalize drug use.
“You have to build a rapport with them — that’s most important,” Williams explained. By building relationships in the community, trust can be established. Williams shared that it’s important to have boots on the ground in these communities, especially communities of color, in order to support them and provide resources.
“But you really have to build a rapport with these kids and the communities for them to respect you.”
