The Commonwealth has seen a 59% reduction in fentanyl-related overdose deaths since January 2022, a significant decrease Gov. Glenn Youngkin is touting as leading the nation.
Between 2023 and last year, fentanyl deaths in Virginia plummeted 44%, and fatal overdoses have dropped 5% this year.
On Thursday, Youngkin detailed his administration’s comprehensive efforts to fight fentanyl in the commonwealth. Under Operation FREE, an initiative launched to combat fentanyl and opioid abuse, more than 850 pounds of fentanyl have been seized, with a street value totaling $3.9 billion. Nearly 3,000 arrests have been made, and more than 35,000 pounds of prescription medication have been collected through take-back programs.
“There’s a moment of darkness and despair, and as I’ve prayed and hugged and listened with so many of you, it is that strength to stand up and share your story that changes everything, and so the heroes here are all of you and thank you for allowing us to be on the journey with you,” Youngkin said as he delivered remarks in Richmond on Thursday. “You’ve taken the worst tragedy of a parent’s possible imagination and you’ve turned it into amazing goodness ... Light will chase out darkness.”
Efforts have also been made to strengthen penalties and enforcement related to drug abuse. These include a new felony for pill press possession, mandatory notification for school-connected overdoses, and a new felony charge for drug dealers linked to fatal overdoses.
Under Youngkin’s Right Help, Right Now plan, which aims to provide Virginians with immediate behavioral health support before, during, and after a crisis, more than 430,000 doses of naloxone have been distributed.
You can watch Youngkin’s remarks highlighting these comprehensive efforts to reduce fatal fentanyl overdoses below: