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VietnameseGriffin: ‘I am excited to bring the full One Pill Can Kill program to UAFS, including an awareness campaign on the dangers of fentanyl and training for students’
LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement announcing that the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith has joined the One Pill Can Kill initiative:
“Today I joined University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Chancellor Terisa Riley to announce the kickoff of the One Pill Can Kill initiative at UAFS. While UAFS is the fourth campus in Arkansas to officially launch the initiative, in one way they’ve had a head start on the program. Fort Smith was our pilot campus for installing a vending machine that dispenses naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, for free.
“I am excited to bring the full One Pill Can Kill program to UAFS, including an awareness campaign on the dangers of fentanyl and training for students.
“At our press conference today to kick off the campaign, I had the privilege of recognizing Sergeant Jarod Gartrell of the UAFS Police Department for life-saving measures he took in administering naloxone to a non-responsive individual on the UAFS campus in February 2024. The individual, who was not affiliated with the university but who had walked onto campus before collapsing, survived as a direct result of Sergeant Gartrell’s quick action.
“This incident shows the value in having a campus community that is aware of the dangers of illicit drugs and the steps to take when dealing with an overdose.”
After a press conference this morning at UAFS, students gathered for hands-on training to learn to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose, how to administer naloxone to treat someone experiencing an overdose, and how to use testing strips to ensure that medications or beverages have not been laced with fentanyl.
Chancellor Riley added the following statement:
“At the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, student safety is both a priority and a shared responsibility. While we’re fortunate that fentanyl has not taken root on our campus, we know that awareness and education are powerful tools for prevention. The One Pill Can Kill initiative, and this partnership with the Attorney General’s office, provides both.
“According to the CDC, drug overdose deaths in Arkansas have dropped to their lowest levels in years and have seen an almost 24 percent decline compared to last year. That’s encouraging progress, but with one Arkansan still dying every day from a drug overdose, we can’t afford to let up. Prevention is how we keep that number falling. UAFS students are being trained to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose, respond with naloxone, and use fentanyl test strips to detect potentially deadly counterfeit pills. I’m proud of our students for taking this seriously, and grateful our Attorney General has committed time and resources to ensuring they have the knowledge and the tangible tools they need to save a life.”
The Arkansas One Pill Can Kill initiative is funded using opioid settlement funds managed by the Office of the Attorney General on behalf of the State of Arkansas. The initiative launched in October 2024 at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and will expand to more college campuses throughout the school year. To learn more about One Pill Can Kill, visit www.arkansasag.gov/OnePillCanKill.
To download a PDF version of this release, click here.
About Attorney General Tim Griffin
Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state’s 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District, where he served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, House Armed Services Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Ethics and House Committee on the Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority.
Griffin is currently an officer in the Arkansas Army National Guard and holds the rank of colonel. Griffin served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for more than 28 years. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq.
His previous assignments include serving as the Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana; the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and as a Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon. Griffin earned a master’s degree in strategic studies as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
Griffin also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel, Government Reform and Oversight Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; and Associate Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel David M. Barrett, In re: HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.
Griffin is a graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, and Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He attended graduate school at Oxford University. He is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). Griffin lives in Little Rock with his wife, Elizabeth, a Camden native, and their three children.
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