MEDIA RELEASE: Project Precursor Act (PPA)MEDIA RELEASE:
V.O.I.D. thanks Congressman McCaul, for his leadership in countering the massive fentanyl drug trafficking threat to the United States and heralds the introduction of the Project Precursor Act (PPA).
ABOUT VOID
VOID was formed to bring to the public’s attention, through education, awareness and legislative advocacy, the immediate danger of sudden death associated with the use of illicit drugs, in particular FENTANYL, and other emerging synthetic analogs. This will be accomplished through the creation of a network of private, state and national governmental organizations, working together, to provide knowledge, preventive tools, and proposed legislation necessary to reduce the number of deaths occurring through this ever-increasing scourge confronting our society. We will speak on behalf of our loved ones, who can no longer speak for themselves.
“The presentation was very powerful and informative reaching students of multiple grade and maturity levels…we have had multiple speakers in, but none as powerful as this. (Mr. Puerta) made personal connections with students and even connected with students after the presentation. “
Mark A. Frengel, Principal
Laurel Middle-High School
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“…Thank you so much for sharing your story and knowledge yesterday. After the meeting, many of the providers stated they had no idea about fentanyl. You gave them insight and educated them for sure. Many of them belong to faith-based organizations so I am sure they’re going to pass on the message. I’m praying for you and your family. Please continue to educate our community as it is making a difference.”
Cynthia Perez-Macias,
Supervising Probation Officer
San Bernardino County Probation Department
“….we are so grateful for the VOID organization, and all that they are doing to spread the awareness of fentanyl poisoning. We are so appreciative of the support that VOID gave our local F!GHT Fentanyl Campaign and Steve & Jaime coming to Wichita, KS. Red RIbbon Week allowed us to reach over 2500 teens locally! We are thankful that you have chosen to take this horrific life changing event and make an impact on the youth in our communities.
Dawn Cano,
Director of Marketing & Development
Youth Educational Empowerment Program
EDUCATION
Learn about the problem of fentanyl and fake pills in Dead On Arrival
Learn how your school can do a successful showing of DOA and request a parent advocate to attend. For further inquiries, contact us at info@stopthevoid.org.
Are you a media property who wants to run a PSA? Learn about our print, display, and online video PSA library.
BEST PRACTICES
We believe online platforms need to exercise a duty of care to protect users from drug traffickers on their platform.
Our commission for best practices to remove drug trafficking from Social Media launched its paper.
ACCOUNTABILITY
We recently asked the US Trade Representative to declare Snapchat a Notorious Market for counterfeit pills. Read our filing and the filings of other victim parents.
Are you a current or former employee of an online platform that hasn’t done enough to rid its platform of drug trafficking? Learn your rights as a whistleblower. Whistleblowers should contact:
FENTANYL
Fentanyl is a synthetic analog to opium. As a medication, fentanyl is considered 50–100 times stronger than morphine. Patients undergoing difficult surgeries and cancer treatments benefit from its effectiveness. Fentanyl is often compared to oxycodone for pain management, so it is helpful for recognizing how little is required to induce similar effects. Oxycodone doses range 5–60 milligrams (mg) while fentanyl dosages range 15–150 micrograms (mcg). Both dosages are minuscule, but the amount of fentanyl required is almost 1000 times smaller.
The problem started a while back. In the 1990s, pharmaceutical companies were given permission to market oxycodone (a timed release opiate) and similar drugs to doctors and patients. Pain was advertised as a disease to treat more than just a symptom. In the following decades, pain-management became a hundred billion dollar industry. To keep the competition alive, companies introduced new formulations of opiates, including fentanyl.
13 million US citizens were addicted to these medications by 2010 and our legislatures began to react. As a result of the body’s natural ability to build tolerance to medication, each person with pain would need more and more medication to achieve the results needed to live their lives. Those addicted went to great lengths to obtain more. This helped create a black market built out of rogue pharmacies, etc. The public finally began to notice the destruction and a campaign to educate and create laws went in to effect.
The black market grew further when much of the 13 million people couldn’t stop taking their medication overnight. Many began to seek out alternatives like heroin to fix their needs. Organized crime assisted in building a greater supply and in 2013 fentanyl became a major player. Much of the initial fentanyl was ordered from legal laboratories in China, India, and elsewhere in Asia. When sanctions by the US government penalized those countries, the Mexican cartels had already invested and so they made deals to produce fentanyl in Mexico while still ordering ingredients from countries in Asia.
CONTACT VOID
Need more information, want to learn more, join our team, or leave a comment? Send us a quick message, and we’ll get back to you.
