The U.S. Postal Service will unveil its “Know the Facts About Fentanyl” semipostal stamp at a first-day-of-issue ceremony Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 11 a.m. at the National Institutes of Health’s Masur Auditorium in Bethesda, with proceeds directed to fentanyl research and awareness efforts.
The event will feature USPS Government Relations and Public Policy Vice President Peter Pastre, NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, and National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Dr. Nora Volkow. Net proceeds from stamp sales will go to NIDA, a component of NIH and the world’s largest funder of substance use and addiction research, to advance research and awareness around the ongoing overdose epidemic. USPS art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp based on an illustration by Whitney Sherman, who has previously created artwork for another of the Postal Service’s health-focused semipostal stamps.
Semipostal stamps are sold above the standard First-Class rate — currently $1 apiece — with the difference funding a designated cause of national interest; the Fentanyl stamp will be the Postal Service’s fifth currently active semipostal design. Since the format’s introduction in 1998, USPS has sold more than 1.2 billion semipostal stamps, raising over $113 million combined for causes including breast cancer research (nearly $99 million since 1998), families of 9/11 emergency responders ($10.5 million through the Heroes of 2001 stamp), and domestic violence programs (more than $3 million through the Stop Family Violence stamp).
Attendees must RSVP in advance at usps.com/fentanylsemipostalstamp to be admitted to the NIH campus, where additional ID and entry requirements apply. News of the launch is being shared under the hashtag #FentanylSemipostalStamp.
