Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Know the Facts About Fentanyl stamp is here
The new semipostal will fund research to fight drug abuse and overdoses
The Postal Service dedicated its Know the Facts About Fentanyl stamp on Oct. 6 at the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, MD.
“Fentanyl contributes to some 80,000 overdose deaths each year, with devasting impacts to families and communities across the nation,” said Peter Pastre, the Postal Service’s government relations and public policy vice president, who led the ceremony.
Joining Pastre were emcee Tamika Smith, journalist and host of NPR’s “All Things Considered”; Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health; Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse; and Ed Ternan, founder of Song for Charlie, a nonprofit that promotes awareness of the dangers of fentanyl.
“This stamp will travel through homes, workplaces and communities across the country, carrying a reminder that community matters, treatment works, and recovery is possible. Nobody has to confront addiction by themselves,” Volkow said.
Net proceeds from the stamp will go to the National Institute on Drug Abuse — the world’s largest provider of research into substance abuse, addiction treatment and recovery support.
Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp with an original illustration by Whitney Sherman, who also created the art for the Breast Cancer Research semipostal.
The artwork is intended to convey a message of hope, healing and recovery. It shows an individual surrounded by a group of people expressing their love and support.
The stamp is available in sheets of 20 at Post Offices and on usps.com.
Four other semipostal stamps — Breast Cancer Research, Alzheimer’s, Healing PTSD and Save Vanishing Species — are also available at Post Offices and usps.com.
Email us your feedback. Your comments could be included in our “Mail” column.
Heroes
He saw smoke billowing from a window
This letter carrier doused a pan engulfed in flames on a stove
Letter Carrier Jerry Howard was delivering mail in Plymouth, IN, recently when he thought he saw dark dust coming from a home.
As he approached, he realized it was smoke billowing out of a side window.
The Postal Service employee pounded on the front door to get someone’s attention inside the home.
A woman coming around the side of the house from the backyard was shocked to see the other side of her house on fire. They entered the home together and saw an unattended pan engulfed in flames on the stove.
Howard doused the flames before the fire spread.
“The carrier’s quick thinking and selfless act saved others from danger and contributed to the home’s minimal damage,” said then-Postmaster Zack DeLaruelle.
Employees featured in “Heroes” receive letters of commendation through the Postmaster General Heroes’ Program. The nomination form is available on Blue.
If there’s a spill, report it
Employees must follow the rules about hazardous materials
The Postal Service is reminding facility managers and employees to follow the proper procedures if there’s a hazardous material spill that could enter the environment.
This includes many types of oils and chemicals, such as detergents and de-icing products.
If there is a spill, employees must immediately notify the site installation head so that it can be cleaned up by trained responders.
If a hazardous material spill enters a stormwater drain, pond or other surface water — or if it reaches soil or grass — the site installation head must:
• Report the incident to the appropriate USPS environmental specialist and safety specialist.
• Work with the specialist to notify the appropriate environmental agencies. The reporting requirements vary depending on the quantity and type of release.
• Email a completed PS Form 8187, Hazardous and Regulated Substance Release Notification, to form8187@usps.gov.
The Spills and Release Reporting Blue page has more information.
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered Oct. 4-10
Parton’s continuing fan mail and a dog bite postmark made news
Last week, Link checked in again with the Post Office at the Grand Ole Opry — which it profiled in 2025 — in the wake of Dolly Parton’s death.
“There is no doubt that Dolly Parton, who was of course larger than life, had the most mail coming in day after day,” said Dan Rogers, the Opry’s senior vice president and executive producer.
“It’s the most colorful mail that comes in too … We have continued to receive mail on her behalf and will continue to for some time of which I’m certain.”
Link also reported on the release of the latest semipostal stamp, Know the Facts About Fentanyl; the ceremonies for the new Linda McCartney and Hanukkah stamps; and offered a look at the Christmas Cookies stamp unveiling at the National Postal Museum, which featured edible examples of baker-artist Kyrie Johnson’s creations.
There were articles about a dog bite prevention postmark that will run through October; National Disability Employment Awareness Month and Columbus Day; a PCC video from Postmaster General David Steiner; USPS commercial exemptions to Freedom of Information Act requests; and Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
And we shared the news that an Oklahoma drug trafficker was recently sentenced to 17 years in federal prison thanks to a cooperative effort by the USPS Office of Inspector General, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Postal Inspection Service and other law enforcement organizations.
Finally, in “Heroes,” Letter Carrier Jerry Howard was delivering mail in Plymouth, IN, when he discovered that what he thought was a cloud of dark dust on the side of a home was smoke billowing out of its window.
He banged on the door to alert the customer, who was in the backyard. Together they entered the home and Howard extinguished what turned out to be a pan engulfed in flames.
“The carrier’s quick thinking and selfless act saved others from danger and contributed to the home’s minimal damage,” said then-Postmaster Zack DeLaruelle.
Email us your feedback. Your comments could be included in our “Mail” column.
Mail
Lighting the way
Reader raised in Israel appreciates the Hanukkah stamp
Email us your feedback. Your comments could be included in our “Mail” column.
View past printouts
Printout details
What's included
-
Know the Facts About Fentanyl stamp is here
The new semipostal will fund research to fight drug abuse and overdoses
-
Heroes
He saw smoke billowing from a window
This letter carrier doused a pan engulfed in flames on a stove
-
If there’s a spill, report it
Employees must follow the rules about hazardous materials
-
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered Oct. 4-10
Parton’s continuing fan mail and a dog bite postmark made news
-
Mail
Featured reader quote
“Thank you, USPS, for the new Hanukkah stamp. I was born and raised in Israel before I moved here about 10 years ago, and it’s nice to see some Jewish references in the Postal...”
— Ziv Aviv, Shrewsbury, MA