GREAT FALLS Fentanyl Awareness Day is observed annually on August 21, and Shawnee Lapier is using the occasion as an opportunity to educate the community - and honor a loved one that she lost.

Tim McGonigal reports - watch:

The US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) notes that August 21st is "National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day." The purpose of the designation is to:

Fentanyl-linked deaths continue to rise in Montana, with the State Crime Lab reporting 80 overdose deaths involving fentanyl in 2023 alone, and the Drug Enforcement Agencys Rocky Mountain Field Division reports Montana has experienced a staggering 11,000% increase in fentanyl seizures since 2019.

In a statement released by the the Drug Enforcement Administration Rocky Mountain Field Division, Special

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