In a collective effort to combat the fentanyl crisis, San Diego State University's women's soccer team has partnered with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and San Diego City Attorney’s Office to launch a social media campaign for fentanyl awareness. Timed to coincide with International Overdose Awareness Day, the campaign aims to educate on the perils of fentanyl and offer overdose prevention strategies.
At the helm of the initiative is U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath, who spoke after an International Overdose Awareness Day press conference and highlighted the critical importance of the campaign. McGrath and City Attorney Mara Elliott have previously collaborated in similar endeavors, striving to address accidental use and overdose within the community. Echoed by the student-athletes in a video released on various social media platforms is a stark warning, as per the U.S. Attorney’s Office: "Fentanyl doesn’t care about your age, or if you are just trying it for the first time." Within the video, athletes underscore the ultimate goal of the campaign - to "team up and save lives."
Central to the campaign is the lifesaving drug naloxone, which counters opioid overdoses and is readily available through pharmacies in California, without prescription, and free of charge from various community outlets. In their social media messages, the student-athletes urge their peers to learn the use of naloxone and recognize the signs of an overdose. The U.S. Attorney’s Office further reinforces this message, imploring the community to "Know where Narcan is on campus such as Narcan vending machines."
These efforts are part of a larger trend of utilizing student-athletes' influence in public health campaigns following the NCAA's 2021 decision to permit students to receive compensation through NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) arrangements. The campaign represents an innovative collaboration between the athletic and legal communities, striving to create social impact beyond the traditional boundaries of sports and law enforcement.
