NEW YORK — According to Fair and Just Prosecution, a comprehensive 2025 evidence review delivers a decisive verdict on widespread myths fueling the fentanyl crisis, finding that pervasive misinformation has directly led to harmful policies, unnecessary public panic and preventable deaths. The findings underscore a systemic failure to prioritize public health over criminalization, disproportionately harming marginalized communities.
The review, “Correcting the Record: Fentanyl Myths & Misinformation,” systematically dismantles claims that have shaped law enforcement and legislative responses. It concludes that fear-driven narratives, not scientific evidence, have guided actions that exacerbate the overdose epidemic, reports Fair and Just Prosecution.
One of the most persistent and dangerous myths, the review finds, is the false belief that skin contact or incidental inhalation of fentanyl powder can cause an overdose. “Fentanyl is not absorbed through intact skin in amounts that would cause an overdose,” the report states, noting that specially designed medical patches require 12 to 16 hours of continuous contact to deliver a dose. Incidents in which officers reported symptoms are attributed to “panic or the nocebo effect,” not toxicity, according to the organization.
The review also counters the myth of instant, inevitable death from fentanyl exposure. “Fentanyl overdoses follow a predictable pattern … Symptoms progress over several minutes,” the report states, providing a critical window for intervention with naloxone or oxygen. Delays in administering aid due to misinformation, the report warns, “can mean the difference between life and death.”
According to Fair and Just Prosecution, further evidence challenges the narrative that the crisis stems from legal prescriptions or immigration. “The majority of fentanyl-related deaths come from illicitly manufactured fentanyl, not legally prescribed medication,” the report finds, noting that crackdowns on prescriptions have harmed people with chronic pain. Data show nearly 90% of fentanyl seizures occur at legal ports of entry, and more than 80% of those arrested for smuggling it through ports are U.S. citizens.
“Politicians often point to fentanyl to justify harsh immigration policies,” the report notes, “but data … shows” the primary smugglers are American citizens. The characterization of fentanyl as a “weapon of mass destruction” is labeled “scientifically inaccurate” and “dangerously misleading,” contributing to fear that causes first responders to hesitate in providing lifesaving aid.
The organization says the review delivers a sharp critique of punitive policy responses. “Harsh sentencing laws and incarceration do not reduce drug use or overdose deaths, but they do cause harm,” it concludes, noting that such policies disproportionately impact people of color. Instead, the review advocates expanding access to naloxone, harm reduction tools such as fentanyl test strips and overdose prevention centers, and medicines for addiction treatment, which “reduce overdose deaths, support long-term recovery, and improve overall health outcomes.”
Fair and Just Prosecution issues a final call to reject fear-driven policies, stating: “If the U.S. is serious about addressing the fentanyl use and overdose crisis, it must reject punitive approaches and embrace research-based solutions.” It points to a nearly 31% reduction in fentanyl-linked deaths from 2023 to 2024 as evidence that public health strategies are working.
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