The Danish Health Authority has launched a new campaign to make the risks of opioids clearer to young people aged 13 to 20. Published on 9 June 2026, the campaign warns that opioids carry a very high risk of addiction and overdose, even after short-term use. It responds to concerns that some young people underestimate the danger of opioids such as tramadol and oxycodone, partly because they come in pill form and can be wrongly perceived as safer because they are also used as medicines.

The campaign has been developed together with young people, who helped shape and test the material. A key finding behind the campaign is that young people want credible facts, but quickly ignore messages that feel abstract or unrealistic. For that reason, the campaign film shows a situation that could feel familiar to young audiences, with a focus not only on the health risk, but also on the emotional and relational consequences for friends and parents.

The campaign will run on platforms where young people are active, including Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit, Facebook and Instagram, in several waves over the next two years. There is also separate material for 13 to 15-year-olds, focusing on knowledge and social communities, and a track aimed at parents. The Danish Health Authority stresses that parents and other adults can make a difference when they are clear about their views on drugs and keep an open and safe dialogue with their teenagers.

The new campaign is part of the broader initiative “Ungdom uden opioider” (“Youth without opioids”), together with the festival campaign “Der findes ikke et eneste dårligt nej til stoffer” (“There is no such thing as a bad no to drugs”). The effort is supported by a new knowledge bank on opioids, bringing together data on use, wastewater monitoring, poisonings, deaths and treatment. The figures show why the issue is urgent: calls to the Danish poison line about opioid poisonings among 16 to 20-year-olds rose from 65 in 2020 to 203 in 2025, while hospital stays due to opioid poisoning among 15 to 24-year-olds more than doubled, from 113 in 2020 to 266 in 2025.

Find more from Sundhedsstyrelsen (Denmark, June 2026)

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