III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 624 

Supporting the mission and goals of National Fentanyl Awareness Day in 

2022, including increasing individual and public awareness of the impact 

of fake or counterfeit fentanyl pills on families and young people. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 9, 2022 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. GRASSLEY, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. RISCH, Mr. 

BLUMENTHAL, Mr. CRAPO, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. TILLIS, Mr. MARKEY, 

Mrs. CAPITO, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mrs. 

BLACKBURN, Mr. MANCHIN, Mr. COTTON, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. ERNST, 

Mr. KELLY, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, and Mr. SCOTT of Florida) submitted the 

following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the mission and goals of National Fentanyl 

Awareness Day in 2022, including increasing individual 

and public awareness of the impact of fake or counterfeit 

fentanyl pills on families and young people. 

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 or stimulants; 

Whereas drug traffickers are using fake or counterfeit pills 

to exploit the opioid crisis and prescription drug misuse; 


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•SRES 624 ATS 

Whereas the Drug Enforcement Agency (referred to in this 

preamble as the ‘‘DEA’’) has observed a dramatic rise in 

the number of counterfeit pills containing not less than 

2 mg of fentanyl, which is considered a deadly dose; 

Whereas 4 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 has increased by nearly 502 

percent since 2019; 

Whereas more than 9,500,000 counterfeit pills were seized 

within the last year, which exceeds the total number of 

seizures for the previous 2 years combined; 

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 street drugs 

such as heroin and cocaine; 

Whereas, for the 12-month period ending in October 2021, 

more than 105,000 individuals in the United States died 

of drug-induced deaths, and 69,000 of those deaths involved illicit fentanyl; 

Whereas, over the last 20 years, drug-induced deaths among 

individuals aged 15 to 35 has increased 6-fold, largely 

driven by the increase in illicit fentanyl drugs; 

Whereas, for the 12-month period ending in April 2021, the 

leading cause of death for individuals in the United 

States aged 18 to 45 was illicit fentanyl; 


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•SRES 624 ATS 

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, in 2020, drug overdose and poisoning deaths for individuals aged 14 to 18 grew by 94 percent, which was 

more than 3 times as fast as the national rate and faster 

than any other 5-year age group; 

Whereas, in 2020, fentanyl involvement in drug overdose and 

poisoning deaths for individuals aged 14 to 18 grew by 

169 percent, which was more than 3 times as fast as the 

national rate and faster than any other 5-year age group; 

and 

Whereas, in 2020, there were 56,516 reported overdose 

deaths due to synthetic opioids; Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports the recognition and goals of Na3 tional Fentanyl Awareness Day, which include in4 creasing individual and public awareness of the im5 pact of fake or counterfeit fentanyl pills on families 

6 and young people; 

7 (2) applauds the work of Federal, State, and 

8 local law enforcement agencies that work to combat 

9 the proliferation of counterfeit pills; 

10 (3) encourages the use of existing authorities to 

11 proactively stop and prevent the spread of illicit 

12 counterfeit pills; and 


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•SRES 624 ATS 

1 (4) designates May 10, 2022 as ‘‘National 

2 Fentanyl Awareness Day’’. 

Æ 


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