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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 323 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 323

 Supporting the goals and ideals of Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness 
                        Day on August 21, 2023.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 27, 2023

 Mr. Grassley (for himself and Mrs. Feinstein) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Supporting the goals and ideals of Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness 
                        Day on August 21, 2023.

Whereas families in the United States affected by the use of illicit fentanyl 
        use Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day to--

    (1) preserve the memory of the individuals lost to fentanyl overdose or 
poisoning who were unsuspecting victims, experimenting with the drug, or 
suffering from substance use disorder;

    (2) acknowledge the devastation caused by the use of illicit fentanyl 
and other dangerous drugs; and

    (3) share awareness about the dangers of the use of illicit fentanyl to 
prevent a public health crisis, self-harm, addiction, and death;

Whereas Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day is celebrated each year on August 
        21 by State governors and attorneys general, the Centers for Disease 
        Control and Prevention, parent-teacher associations, the High Intensity 
        Drug Trafficking Areas program, the Office of National Drug Control 
        Policy, the Drug Enforcement Administration (referred to in this 
        preamble as the ``DEA''), and hundreds of other organizations throughout 
        the United States;
Whereas fentanyl is a highly addictive synthetic opioid that is 100 times more 
        potent than morphine;
Whereas, according to the DEA, illicit fentanyl is--

    (1) manufactured with other illicit drugs to increase potency;

    (2) sold as a powder or mixed with other illicit drugs; and

    (3) pressed into counterfeit pills to look like legitimate 
pharmaceutical drugs;

Whereas the fentanyl crisis in the United States is a serious public safety 
        threat;
Whereas the illicit fentanyl poisoning rate in 2022 was the highest in the 
        history of the United States, and fentanyl poisoning was the number one 
        cause of death among citizens of the United States aged 18 to 45;
Whereas synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl and the analogues of fentanyl, are 
        devastating communities and families at an unprecedented rate, claiming 
        \2/3\ of the more than 107,000 lives lost to drug overdoses in 2021;
Whereas drug-related deaths throughout the United States reached a new record in 
        2022, with at least 109,680 deaths;
Whereas individuals increasingly use pills or other drugs without knowing those 
        substances contain fentanyl;
Whereas, in 2021, the DEA issued the first public safety alert by the agency in 
        more than 6 years to raise awareness of a significant nationwide surge 
        in counterfeit pills;
Whereas the rate of fentanyl-related mass poisonings (events including 3 or more 
        poisonings close in time at the same location) was rising as of 2022, 
        according to the DEA;
Whereas families in the United States affected by the use of illicit fentanyl 
        have gained momentum in educating the public about the dangers of the 
        use of illicit fentanyl and other drugs and actively engage with Federal 
        agencies to promote such education and awareness;
Whereas families in the United States affected by the use of illicit fentanyl 
        seek to raise awareness of that issue and prevent fentanyl-related 
        deaths, and those families join together in the effort to save lives on 
        Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day; and
Whereas parents, young people, schools, businesses, law enforcement agencies, 
        religious institutions and faith-based organizations, service 
        organizations, senior citizens, medical and military personnel, sports 
        teams, and individuals throughout the United States will demonstrate a 
        commitment to healthy, productive, and drug-free lifestyles on Fentanyl 
        Prevention and Awareness Day: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of Fentanyl Prevention 
        and Awareness Day;
            (2) encourages the people of the United States to promote 
        prevention of the use of fentanyl and to educate young people 
        on Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, symbolizing a 
        commitment to healthy, drug-free lifestyles;
            (3) encourages children, teenagers, and other individuals 
        to choose to live drug-free lives; and
            (4) encourages the people of the United States to--
                    (A) promote drug prevention and the creation of 
                drug-free communities; and
                    (B) participate in drug prevention activities to 
                show support for healthy, productive, and drug-free 
                lifestyles.
                                 <all>
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