Why I Cannot Support "Fentanyl Awareness Day"—And Why You Shouldn't Either
 

Dear ,

On April 6, 2020, my life was split in two. That was the day my beautiful son, Daniel, just 16½ years old, died from fentanyl poisoning after taking what he believed to be a prescription pill. What he took was a counterfeit laced with a lethal dose of fentanyl—purchased through Snapchat.

Since that day, I have dedicated my life to preventing other families from experiencing the same agony. I have spoken in classrooms, in Congress, at the FBI Academy, and in front of grieving families who carry the same unimaginable burden. And yet, I must be clear: I cannot, in good conscience, support National Fentanyl Awareness Day as it is currently presented.

This day—publicly backed by the DEA, HHS, and other government agencies—is co-founded by Snapchat. Yes, Snapchat: the very company whose platform facilitated my son's death.

To see federal agencies champion a day tied to a corporation directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of children is not just tone-deaf—it is reprehensible. Snapchat's disappearing messages, encrypted features, and location tracking were weaponized by drug dealers to target and kill kids like my Daniel. Parents sounded the alarm for years, and the company turned a blind eye. Their eventual policy shifts were far too little, far too late.

Instead of holding Snapchat accountable, the DEA and others now prop it up as a partner in prevention. This is not prevention—it is a PR stunt. This awareness day has become a sanitized, corporate-sponsored distraction that helps no one and insults those of us who live every day with the permanent absence of a child.

Where is the support for bereaved families leading awareness efforts on the ground? Where is the funding for real fentanyl education in grades 6–12, or for community college students?

Instead, we get hashtags. Graphics. A slogan. All brought to you by the same company that hosted Daniel's killer.

Let me be perfectly clear: I support true fentanyl awareness. But not when it's co-opted by those with blood on their hands. Not when it's endorsed by government agencies that should be standing with victims, not corporations.

I urge the DEA, HHS, and all federal partners to sever ties with Snapchat and others who helped fuel this epidemic. A legitimate fentanyl awareness day should be founded and led by bereaved parents, public health experts, and educators—not a tech giant trying to launder its image.

Until that happens, I will not participate in National Fentanyl Awareness Day. And I urge all families affected by this crisis to consider whether this day truly represents them—or whether it's been hijacked by those who helped create the very tragedy we're trying to end.

We don't need corporate campaigns. We need courage, accountability, and action.

Kind Regards,
Jaime Puerta