Groups Launch 'WTF Marin' Fentanyl Awareness Campaign

MARIN COUNTY, CA — A new ad campaign is designed to draw eyes to the dangers of fentanyl in Marin County and advocate for more access to substance use treatment and the overdose reversal drug Narcan.

Marin County joined forces with OD Free Marin, the Marin Community Foundation, the Marin Independent Journal, and ad agency Good Stuff Partners for the campaign, which officials unveiled Thursday.

Citing state data, organizers said accidental fentanyl overdoses kill someone in Marin County every nine days on average, and overdose has become the leading cause of death for people 55 and under.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, more than 84 percent of teen overdose deaths were linked to fentanyl in 2021, including a quarter that were a direct result of counterfeit pills.

"Fentanyl overdoses are a public health crisis locally and across the country," said Dr. Matt Willis, the Marin County Public Health Officer. "Fentanyl continues to be used in fake prescription pills, and what many folks don't realize is that the tiniest amount — equivalent to just three grains of salt — can take a life."

Good Stuff Partners took on the job pro bono and said its goal was to create something that caught people's attention with bold colors and language, lending to the "Hey Marin, WTF?" title — an acronym for "Where's The Fentanyl?"

"It doesn't matter where you live, how much money you make, or how old you are — fentanyl doesn't discriminate on geographic regions, socioeconomic status, or age," said Adrian Power, a founding partner at the firm. "That's what we tried to convey with the simple but powerful design of this campaign — that it's time for everyone to take notice."

The partnership has also made a toolkit available with graphics and assets that anyone can download and make use of on their own. The advertisements will run over the next year in both English and Spanish on buses, in the Marin Independent Journal, and on social media.