BETHESDA, Md. — The U.S. Postal Service has released a new stamp that raises money for fentanyl research and awareness, giving Americans a way to support the fight against the overdose epidemic every time they mail a letter.
The “Know the Facts About Fentanyl” semipostal stamp was dedicated Oct. 6 at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. It sells for $1 and is available at post offices nationwide, online and by phone at 844-737-7826.
Semipostal stamps cost more than the standard First-Class Mail rate. After postage and the Postal Service’s costs are covered, the net proceeds go to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of NIH, to advance research and raise awareness about the overdose crisis.
“Fentanyl contributes to some 80,000 overdose deaths each year,” said Peter Pastre, the Postal Service’s vice president of government relations and public policy, who dedicated the stamp.
NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow also spoke at the ceremony.
“Fentanyl represents one of the most urgent public health challenges of our time,” Bhattacharya said.
Volkow said the stamp is meant to carry a message of hope, healing and recovery. “It is fitting to convey that message through a postage stamp, because stamps travel and connect one person to another,” she said.
Postal Service art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp using an original illustration by Whitney Sherman, who also created the art for the Breast Cancer Research semipostal stamp. The image shows a central figure surrounded by a diverse group of supporters, which reflects how fentanyl affects both the individual and the wider community. Alcalá chose not to show pills because they could be triggering for people in recovery.
“The word ‘hope’ was dominant in my mind as it presents possibilities and positive outcomes,” Sherman said.
The Postal Service printed 11 million of the stamps.
