"We will continue to grow this movement until we purge fentanyl forever in the United States of America."
– Governor Greg Abbott
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN, Texas – Governor Greg Abbott yesterday honored the hard work of Texas families and community members raising awareness of the nationwide fentanyl crisis at the 3rd Annual "Soles 4 Souls" Fentanyl Awareness Walk.
"We will continue to grow this movement until we purge fentanyl forever in the United States of America," said Governor Abbott. "There's an unfortunate fact that we all must understand—there's more work to be done. All I can ask is that you take the message you learned today and expand it tenfold around San Antonio, around Texas, making our city and our state an ever safer place."
The Governor was joined at the annual walk by San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz-Jones, "Soles Walking 4 Souls" Directors Kathy Drago and Christina Villagrana, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, San Antonio Police Department Chief of Police William McManus, KSAT-TV News Anchor Courtney Friedman, and other fentanyl poisoning awareness advocates.
Since the Texas Legislature passed and the Governor signed into law House Bill 3144 in 2023, Governor Abbott has proclaimed every October as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month to raise awareness and educate Texans about the dangers of fentanyl to save more lives. The Governor also issued a proclamation designating October 12-18, 2025, as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Week to teach Texas children about deadly fentanyl and live-saving lessons to protect their lives and their futures.
Earlier this year, Governor Abbott announced the launch of an online interactive map by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) that pinpoints where Texans can acquire for free or purchase life-saving Naloxone (NARCAN) as part of the statewide “One Pill Kills” campaign. This tool will help Texans locate over-the-counter NARCAN to prevent fentanyl poisonings and help save lives.
Since the launch of Texas' "One Pill Kills" campaign, the state has seen a positive impact in the lives of Texans. New data published by DSHS on the Texas fentanyl data dashboard shows that fentanyl poisoning deaths from July 2024 through June 2025 decreased by more than 42% when compared with the previous 12 months. The decreases come after five straight years of increases, which saw fentanyl-related poisoning deaths in Texas rise over 600% from 2019 to 2023, taking the lives of more than 7,000 innocent Texans in just four years.
Additional photos of the event provided here.
