Whereas drug traffickers are mass-producing fake or counterfeit pills and falsely marketing them as legitimate prescription pills to deceive the people of the United States;

Whereas many fake or counterfeit pills are made to look like prescription name-brand opioids, stimulants, or anxiety medications;

Whereas drug traffickers are using fake or counterfeit pills to exploit prescription drug misuse and the opioid crisis;

Whereas the Drug Enforcement Administration (referred to in this preamble as the DEA) has observed a dramatic rise in the number of counterfeit pills containing not less than 2 milligrams of fentanyl, which is considered a deadly dose;

Whereas 5 out of every 10 pills with fentanyl tested by the DEA contain a potentially lethal dose;

Whereas counterfeit pills may also contain fentanyl-related substances and methamphetamine;

Whereas the number of counterfeit pills with fentanyl seized by law enforcement agencies in 2025 was more than 47,000,000;

Whereas, including the nearly 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder seized in 2025, total fentanyl seizures are equivalent to more than 369,000,000 lethal doses of fentanyl;

Whereas fake or counterfeit pills have been identified in all 50 States and the District of Columbia;

Whereas illicit fentanyl has also been detected in illicit drugs such as heroin, cocaine, MDMA (ecstasy and molly), and methamphetamine;

Whereas, for the 12-month period ending in October 2025, nearly 70,000 individuals in the United States died of drug-induced deaths, and more than 37,000 of those deaths involved illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids;

Whereas, in 2023, illicit fentanyl was involved in more deaths of individuals 55 years of age and under than any single other cause;

Whereas fake counterfeit pills are easily accessible and often sold on social media and e-commerce platforms, making them accessible to teens and youth;

Whereas illicit fentanyl is involved in more deaths of youths than all other drug types combined;

Whereas, between 2019 and 2021, drug overdose and poisoning deaths for individuals 14 to 18 years of age increased by 128 percent, a rate of increase which was 77 percentage points higher than the national rate and higher than the rate for any other 5-year age group;

Whereas, between 2019 and 2021, the number of deaths involving illicit fentanyl in drug overdose and poisoning deaths for individuals 14 to 18 years of age increased by 236 percent, a rate of increase which was 141 percentage points higher than the national rate and higher than the rate for any other 5-year age group over the age of 15;

Whereas, in 2024, only 65 percent of youth and 55 percent of teens in the United States were aware that fentanyl is being used to create counterfeit pills;

Whereas, in 2024, only 55 percent of young adults and 50 percent of teens considered themselves knowledgeable about fentanyl; and

Whereas, in 2025, there were tens of thousands of reported overdose deaths involving illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids: Now, therefore, be it