```

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 79 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 79

 Expressing support for the designation of February 26, 2023, to March 
4, 2023, as ``National Fentanyl Awareness Week'' and raising awareness 
       of the negative impacts of fentanyl in the United States.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 27, 2023

  Mr. Scott of Florida submitted the following resolution; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Expressing support for the designation of February 26, 2023, to March 
4, 2023, as ``National Fentanyl Awareness Week'' and raising awareness 
       of the negative impacts of fentanyl in the United States.

Whereas, as of August 2022, drug overdoses during the previous 12 months claimed 
        a reported 101,552 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 has dropped to its lowest point 
        in 2 decades, in part because of street drugs like fentanyl;
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 and counterfeit 
        pills;
Whereas drug traffickers are using fentanyl-laced fake and counterfeit pills to 
        exploit the opioid crisis in the United States;
Whereas those illicit drugs are primarily made in secret factories in Mexico 
        with chemicals mostly from China;
Whereas, without laboratory testing, there is no safe way to know how much 
        fentanyl is concentrated in a pill or powder;
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 2022 alone, the Drug 
        Enforcement Agency seized over 379,000,000 doses of potentially deadly 
        fentanyl, enough to kill every individual in the United States, which 
        included--

    (1) more than 50,600,000 fentanyl-laced pills; and

    (2) 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder;

Whereas U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized more than 17,000 pounds of 
        fentanyl in fiscal year 2022;
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 49: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, 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 by their physician;
            (4) encourages individuals suffering from substance use 
        disorder to seek assistance; and
            (5) designates February 26, 2023, through March 4, 2023, as 
        ``National Fentanyl Awareness Week''.
                                 <all>
```