Illenium speaks out on the dangers of fentanyl in new candid video

Illenium has partnered with the California Department of Public Health to raise awareness about fentanyl in illicit drugs.

In a new Instagram post, superstar producer and DJ Illenium has announced an important partnership with the California Department of Public Health to raise awareness about the deadly drug fentanyl. The video begins with the “outrageous” image of two milligrams of salt next to a penny, demonstrating the scarily small amount of fentanyl that can be lethal. He goes on to explain that fentanyl is often mixed with drugs like meth, cocaine, MDMA, and fake prescription pills, contributing to overdoses and deaths among drug users.

Illenium stresses the importance of being “educated, prepared, and aware” when it comes to fentanyl “to be better advocates for people who use drugs.” The post centers around harm reduction and urges viewers to “protect each other and spread the word to keep each other safe.” The post ends with a URL for the California Department of Public Health’s page on naloxone, a medicine used to rapidly reverse the effects of an overdose.

Drug use and overdosing are subjects that hit close to home for Illenium. Following the release of his emotional 2018 song “Take You Down,” Illenium has been very public about his past opiate addiction and the heroin overdose that nearly took his life before he rebounded and became the wildly successful artist that we all know today. In the caption of the “Take You Down” music video, he wrote, “I’ve been clean since that overdose and I owe that to finding my passion and being surrounded by the most loving people I could ever ask for.”

Illenium has been a vocal advocate for drug safety since sharing his story with fans in 2018 – he provided overdose education on his tour in 2023 and partnered with End Overdose earlier this year – so it’s no surprise to see him using his platform for this issue once again. Blunt discussion of the topic from such an influential figure is crucial in a dance music scene that sees drug use among many of its members. Countless fans and other artists such as MiTis, JMAU5, and Lucille Croft commented on Illenium’s post to express their support for the partnership.

Visit the California Department of Public Health’s website for more information on fentanyl and naloxone.

About The Author

Gus Johnson

Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, I’ve always had a passion for writing and was introduced to the EDM scene in 2017. Since then, I’ve attended countless shows and several major festivals including Tomorrowland, EDC Las Vegas, Decadence CO, Hard Summer, and Shambhala. Some of my favorite artists are Seven Lions, Zeds Dead, NGHTMRE, Trivecta, and Jason Ross.

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