Jim Rauh has been fighting his own war against fentanyl since it claimed the life of his 37-year-old son, Thomas, in 2015.
That’s when he formed Families Against Fentanyl, a nonpartisan nonprofit that has drawn the attention and support of former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and former CIA Director John Brennan, among others. Rauh believes the cheap synthetic opiate — which has killed more Americans than World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars combined — is a threat to national security.
As of Friday, 48,722 people have signed the organization’s petition to persuade the U.S. government to declare fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction.
“I would sacrifice my life to get rid of this stuff,” Rauh said in a telephone interview.
Now the Ohio man has taken his campaign to billboards along Southern California freeways in Los Angeles and Orange counties, with signs carrying the stark message: “Fentanyl is the number one cause of death for Americans age 18 to 45.”
State No. 1 in fentanyl deaths
Using data gleaned from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a new report by FAF found that California ranks No. 1 in the nation for fentanyl-related deaths in 2021. It is why the organization aimed its billboard campaign at the Southern California region, Rauh said.
The signs can be seen on billboards along the 57 Freeway in Placentia, the 10 Freeway in El Monte, the 5 Freeway in Commerce and the 710 Freeway in Lynwood. And more are coming soon to the Inland Empire, Rauh said.
“We’re going to launch additional billboards in both Riverside and San Bernardino counties,” Rauh said. “The reason we’re doing this is to get the attention of the U.S. government.”
The FAF report also notes that fentanyl deaths are rising faster in California than anywhere else in the country, increasing more than 2,631% in the state since 2015. Young people ranging in age from 15 to 24 made up a significantly larger share of total fentanyl deaths in…
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