For release on March 11, 2022
CONTACT:
Terry Harman
Assistant District Attorney
(408) 792-2826
DA Asks Local High School Students: What is the Face of Fentanyl?
District Attorney Jeff Rosen is asking all eligible Santa Clara County high school students to create a poster for this year’s “Justice for All” contest that illustrates how the fentanyl overdosing epidemic is affecting them and their community. All art mediums are welcome: paint, pencil, charcoal, photography, graphic design, etc.
Santa Clara County is seeing a devastating increase in fatal fentanyl overdoses. Pre-teens, teenagers, and college students are purchasing what they think are pain medications off the streets, but they are given poisonous fake pills that are laced with fentanyl instead.
Just a few grains of fentanyl, an extremely powerful synthetic opioid, can cause a fatal overdose. This risk is heightened when the drug is mixed with other substances.
“Young people are powerful. They can help classmates who seek out drugs as a way to cope with difficult times,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “Our Office will prosecute fentanyl dealers, but our community must come together to prevent the next fatal overdose.”
All Santa Clara County high school students are invited to submit their work by May 6, 2022. Winners will be announced on May 23, 2022 on the DA’s website, Facebook, and Twitter.
All entrants who do not place will receive a Starbucks gift card. The first-place winner will receive $1,500 and their work will be prominently published on the District Attorney’s website and other venues. The second-place winner will receive $1,000, and the third-place winner will receive $500. The top three winners will receive their prizes at an awards ceremony at a later date.
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