About This Stamp
For years, fentanyl has fueled a national overdose crisis, deeply affecting families and communities. But with growing awareness, improved resources, and better access to treatment and recovery support, progress is being made. With the Know the Facts About Fentanyl semipostal, the U.S. Postal Service will raise funds for the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) — the world’s largest funder of substance use and addiction research and a component of the National Institutes of Health — to advance research and raise awareness to combat this ongoing epidemic while providing a message encouraging hope, healing, and recovery.
Most of the approximately 80,000 annual overdose deaths in the United States involve fentanyl and other extremely potent synthetic opioids. In recent years, illicitly manufactured fentanyl has taken over the illicit drug market. During the COVID pandemic, drug overdose deaths intensified, surging to more than car crash and gun deaths combined. In 2023, the U.S. saw a reduction in drug overdose deaths for the first time in years. Data released in September 2024 showed deaths involving fentanyl declined at a historic rate, down more than 30% over the previous year. Sustained research to prevent and treat addiction, deploy overdose interventions, and sustain recovery is critical to build on current progress in addressing the overdose epidemic.
When working on the design, art director Antonio Alcalá said it was important not to stigmatize people who use fentanyl. He wanted to convey the idea of supporting people while avoiding imagery of pills or fentanyl, which could be triggering to those recovering from fentanyl misuse.
He reached out to illustrator Whitney Sherman, who created the art for the wildly successful Breast Cancer Research semipostal, which he described as “amazing and perfect.”
Sherman drew the linework in graphite pencil on vellum, which was digitally scanned, and color was added. The art image focuses on a person in the center of the scene. This emphasizes how fentanyl can affect one person, yet also has an impact on the community, represented on the stamp by the diverse group surrounding them. The group shows care and comfort to the central figure, reflecting their love and support. The central figure accepts their support without shame or embarrassment.
“The word ‘hope’ was dominant in my mind as it presents possibilities and positive outcomes,” Sherman says. “If you look at each person, they have an intention. They come from various places in the figure’s life. They are expressing care with their eyes and hand gestures. Some are looking at us, suggesting an invitation to also be caring, some are showing their commitment to the central figure that a family member or close friend may give, others offer a sympathetic glance.”
While Alcalá says working on any stamp is meaningful, this one is a little more special.
“There is nothing more rewarding than helping someone in need,” he says.
Sold at a price of 90 cents per First-Class™ stamp, this stamp is a semipostal. The price of a semipostal stamp pays for the First-Class™ single-piece postage rate in effect at the time of purchase plus an amount to fund causes that have been determined to be in the national public interest. By law, revenue from sales (minus postage and the reasonable reimbursement of costs to the Postal Service) is to be transferred to a selected executive agency or agencies. Net proceeds from this stamp will be distributed to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.