Gov. DeSantis signs off on Fentanyl Awareness and Education Day

August 21 will have a new significance in Florida after a Friday bill signing.

With Gov. Ron DeSantis approving HB 259, Fentanyl Awareness and Education Day will be officially added to the calendar.

This will encourage schools and other entities to promote events explicating the dangers of the drug, which is often used for nefarious ends, including contaminating other intoxicants.

DeSantis and the Legislature have taken action against fentanyl before.

In 2024, the Governor signed SB 718 to enhance penalties for exposure to the drug and analogs thereof for police, prison guards, probation officers, fire fighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics.

He also approved $20 million in 2023 for the State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication (SAFE) grant program, which funds law enforcement efforts to interdict against the drug.

DeSantis’ worries about fentanyl extend to other drugs, including marijuana.

“I think when kids get on that, I think it causes a lot of problems,” DeSantis said in 2023. “And then, of course, you know, they can throw fentanyl in any of this stuff now.”