Governor Greg Abbott participated in the 3rd Annual “Soles 4 Souls” Fentanyl Awareness Walk in San Antonio, where he recognized the efforts of Texas families and community members working to address the fentanyl crisis.
“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 event included 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 William McManus, KSAT-TV News Anchor Courtney Friedman, and other advocates focused on fentanyl poisoning awareness.
In 2023, House Bill 3144 was passed by the Texas Legislature and signed into law by Governor Abbott. Since then, October has been proclaimed as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month in Texas. This year, Governor Abbott also issued a proclamation marking October 12-18 as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Week to educate children about fentanyl risks.
Earlier this year, an online interactive map was launched by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) as part of the statewide “One Pill Kills” campaign. The tool helps Texans find locations where they can obtain or purchase Naloxone (NARCAN), which can prevent fentanyl poisonings.
Recent data from DSHS indicates that between July 2024 and June 2025, deaths from fentanyl poisoning dropped by over 42% compared with the previous year. This follows a period from 2019 to 2023 when such deaths increased by more than 600%, resulting in over 7,000 fatalities statewide during those four years.
