February 25, 2025
Mr. Scott of Florida (for himself and Mr. Justice) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
Expressing support for the designation of February 23, 2025, to March 1, 2025, as National Fentanyl Awareness Week
and raising awareness of the negative impacts of fentanyl in the United States.
Whereas, as of August 2024, drug overdoses during the previous 12 months claimed a reported 86,678 lives in the United States;
Whereas countless families in the United States are now facing the unimaginable pain of losing a child, mother, father, sibling or loved one taken by deadly, illegal fentanyl;
Whereas the life expectancy in the United States remains impacted by the opioid crisis, with people born in 2023 estimated to live 78.4 years;
Whereas social isolation and poor support systems contribute to increased overdose risk among older adults;
Whereas, from 2022 to 2023, adults aged 65 and older experienced the largest percentage increase in the rate of drug overdose deaths, with an increase of 11.4 percent;
Whereas fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin, and is considered the deadliest drug threat in the United States;
Whereas drug traffickers use illicit fentanyl to produce fake or counterfeit pills;
Whereas drug traffickers are using fentanyl-laced fake or counterfeit pills to exploit the opioid crisis in the United States;
Whereas, without laboratory testing, there is no safe way to know how much fentanyl is concentrated in a pill or powder;
Whereas those illicit drugs are primarily made in secret factories in Mexico with chemicals mostly from China;
Whereas the Drug Enforcement Agency has issued warnings about brightly colored fentanyl-laced pills being used to target young individuals in the United States;
Whereas less than 2 milligrams is considered a deadly dose of fentanyl;
Whereas the Drug Enforcement Agency announced that in 2024 alone, the Drug Enforcement Agency seized over 367,000,000 doses of potentially deadly fentanyl, enough to kill every individual in the United States, which included—
(1)
more than 55,000,000 fentanyl-laced pills; and
(2)
7,800 pounds of fentanyl powder;
Whereas U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized more than 21,889 pounds of fentanyl in fiscal year 2024;
Whereas fentanyl has also been found in street drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine; and
Whereas, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl-related poisonings are currently the leading cause of death for individuals in the United States ages 18 to 45: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)
applauds the work of Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies for their work in combating the fentanyl crisis;
(2)
applauds the work of treatment and recovery organizations that help individuals with substance use disorder;
(3)
encourages all individuals to only use medication prescribed through their physician;
(4)
encourages anyone suffering from substance use disorder to seek assistance; and
(5)
designates February 23, 2025, through March 1, 2025, as National Fentanyl Awareness Week
.