Governor Greg Abbott participated in the 3rd Annual “Soles 4 Souls” Fentanyl Awareness Walk in San Antonio, recognizing families and community members for their efforts to raise awareness about the fentanyl crisis.
“We will continue to grow this movement until we purge fentanyl forever in the United States of America,” Governor Abbott said. “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.”
Other attendees included San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz-Jones, Directors Kathy Drago and Christina Villagrana of “Soles Walking 4 Souls,” Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, KSAT-TV News Anchor Courtney Friedman, and advocates for fentanyl poisoning awareness.
Following the passage of House Bill 3144 in 2023, every October has been designated as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month in Texas. In addition, Governor Abbott proclaimed October 12-18, 2025 as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Week to educate children about fentanyl risks.
Earlier this year, Governor Abbott announced a new online interactive map from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) that shows where Texans can access Naloxone (NARCAN), either for free or purchase. This initiative is part of the statewide “One Pill Kills” campaign to prevent fentanyl poisonings.
Data from DSHS indicates that between July 2024 and June 2025, deaths from fentanyl poisoning in Texas dropped by over 42% compared to the previous year. This follows five years during which such deaths increased by more than 600% from 2019 to 2023, resulting in over 7,000 fatalities statewide.
Additional photos from the event are available.
