Fentanyl is not a left vs. right issue. It is a human issue. We must be United Against Fentanyl.
our approach
We are non-partisan
Working 100% at education
Working 100% at enforcement
We are building a movement
why we exist
We are a grassroots campaign to amplify voices inside and outside government about the insidiousness of fentanyl. We are working to unite the voices and causes fighting for the sake of our children and our nation by:
Providing resources to educate the public about the dangers of illicit fentanyl
Providing the public awareness of bi-partisan legislation intended to save lives
Providing recovery resources to individuals and families that are affected by fentanyl
Though the word fentanyl is well known in the nation today, the vast majority of people don’t accurately understand the nuances of this drug.
To fill the void, UAF will work on two primary fronts: the first is prevention. We aim to be the global leader on creating content and mediums to educate people, especially of the insidious outcomes when unsuspecting people use fentanyl that was “cut” into what they believed to be another substance. The second is foreign and domestic policy.
In 2023, DEA seized more than 76 million pills containing fentanyl and more than 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder. This equates to nearly 384 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl that never reached our communities.
EDUCATION is everything. Illicit fentanyl is different and will require a different approach to saving lives.
Confronting the epidemic is going to take more than disrupting the supply and getting people into treatment. Innovative, and even controversial measures—such as harm reduction, making naloxone and fentanyl test strips more readily available, and supervised drug-consumption sites—must be part of the policy discussion.
We must stop at nothing to DISRUPT SUPPLY from foreign nations, manufacturers, and dealers.
The flow of fentanyl into the United States is more diverse and complex today compared to the start of the fentanyl crisis in 2014. New source countries and new transit countries emerging as significant trafficking nodes. This is exacerbating the already multi-faceted fentanyl crisis by introducing additional source countries into the global supply chain of fentanyl, fentanyl-related substances, and fentanyl precursors.
Meet Paul E. Martin.
Founder of United Against Fentanyl.
After decades in humanitarian work, I thought I had seen it all. But fentanyl was different — the leading killer of 18-45 year olds today, five thousand students poisoned, many not realizing the pill they were about to take had been laced. I moved near an epicenter, Española, New Mexico, to work with teens and homeless men and women addicted to fentanyl. In a meeting, a social worker looked me in the eyes: “We long for the days of heroin.”
Then, I met parents who had lost children.
Read Paul’s account of why he decided to launched United Against Fentanyl.
Our People
President
Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul’s career centers on ameliorating physical, emotional, and spiritual human suffering. He’s formally trained in philosophical ethics and has served in senior roles in nonprofit causes, nationally and internationally.
He launched United Against Fentanyl on behalf of victims he’s sat with—those currently addicted, and those who have lost children to fentanyl poisoning.
He holds a BA from UCLA in philosophy and an MA in Philosophy, Religion, and Ethics from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University.
Board
Brad Hightower
Brad Hightower
Brad’s career is in aerospace quality management, leadership design and instruction, and executive development. He has also spent over 30 years focusing on homeless prevention, Christian ethics, and public theology. Brad holds a BA in Medical Anthropology from Stanford University and an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary. Today, he lives in Durham, North Carolina. He has recently worked on gun safety initiatives with partners that include Duke University.
Brad is married to Jane Hightower. They are the proud parents of six adult children.
Board
Jason Lavin
Jason Lavin
Jason Lavin is the CEO and Founder of GoldenCommunications, a website development firm and marketing agency with four offices on three continents, with headquarters in Newport Beach, CA. GoldenComm clients are national and international and include both government and private sectors.
Through his leadership and the work of his team, Jason has provided United Against Fentanyl with a platform to share all the work they are doing in the States and around the world. Jason is a graduate of the University of Southern California.
Advisory Board
Jonathon Alpeyrie
Jonathon Alpeyrie
Jonathon Alpeyrie has worked as a freelancer for publications and websites, such as the Sunday Times, Le Figaro Magazine, ELLE, American Photo, GLAMOUR, Le Monde, & BBC.. Jonathan’s career spans over a decade, and has brought him to over 36 countries, covered 14 conflict zones assignments, in the Middle East and North Africa, the South Caucasus, Europe, North America and Central Asia. Jonathan is now covering the drug wars. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago.
Advisory Board
Kristen Brenton
Kristen Brenton
Kristen spent five years working in emergency departments and on crisis teams as a social worker, specializing in behavioral health and substance misuse issues. Most recently, Kristen became the National Advocacy Director with Harbor Path, a non-profit organization focusing on naloxone education and implementation programs. For the past twenty years, Kristen has been working in the pharmaceutical industry, specifically educating on buprenorphine and naloxone specific integrations.
Kristen has a communications degree from Westfield State and a master’s degree from Providence College.
Advisory Board
Jim Crotty
Jim Crotty
Jim Crotty is a recognized expert and thought leader in drug policy. He has over 16 years of professional experience spanning the public and private sectors, including over 12 years at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Mr. Crotty currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at American University’s School of Public Affairs and is a member of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) Network of Experts.
He holds a JD from the University of Alabama School of Law, MA in Political Science from Boston College, and BA in Political Science from Auburn University, summa cum laude.
Advisory Board
Ray Donovan
Ray Donovan
As the third highest ranking official in the Drug Enforcement Administration, Mr. Donovan retired in 2023 after 28 years. He served as Chief of Operations, where he oversaw all enforcement operations worldwide. Previously he served as Special Agent in charge of the DEA’s New York division, the central office for DEA for handling the highest level of narcotics, money laundering, and narco terrorism cases globally. He also served as Special Agent in charge of DEA special operations division, the central point of all counter narcotic operations, government wide.
Advisory Board
Ioan Grillo
Ioan Grillo
A native of England, Ioan Grillo has covered Mexico since 200. He reports for Time Magazine as well as producing presentations for stations including PBS, ABC and Channel 4 of the UK. He regularly appears on radio and TV, commenting on Mexican crime and other issues. He has witnessed police and military operations, mafia killings and major seizures; he’s also discussed the drug war with two Mexican presidents, three attorney generals and the U.S. ambassador, among others.
Advisory Board
David O'Brien, MD
David O'Brien, MD
Dr. O’Brien has been a practicing physician for 33 years. He is fellowship trained, specializing in spine and musculoskeletal medicine. He has held four Board Certifications, including pain medicine. He is Associate Professor in the department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, serving as Medical Director for spine. Dr. O’Brien has given presentations in eight countries, serves on the editorial board for two medical journals, and has authored articles and book chapters. He has served in leadership positions, including as an officer and board member for two international, non-profit medical societies.
He is a graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine
Advisory Board
Gerald Posner
Geraldn Posner
Gerald Posner is the author of thirteen acclaimed books, including New York Times nonfiction bestsellers Case Closed, Why America Slept and God’s Bankers. Posner was a finalist for the Pulitzer in History. “A merciless pitbull of an investigator” concluded the Chicago Tribune. The New York Times said his latest book (2020), PHARMA, was “a withering and encyclopedic indictment of a drug industry that often seems to prioritize profits over patients…”
He received his BA from UC Berkeley and law degree from Hastings Law School.
Advisory Board
Andrea Romero
Andrea Romero
Andrea Romero is a daughter of Northern New Mexico—a norteña, her family goes back hundreds of years in el norte. Andrea graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Political Science and a J.D. from UNM School of Law. She has dedicated herself to the growth of Northern New Mexico’s economic and environmental vitality as a State Legislator for HD-46. She is an Opioid Policy Fellow. with the National Conference of State Legislators. Currently, Andrea works in place-based impact investing, and as an entrepreneur in the probiotics space, with one patent issued on healthy probiotics eggs.
