Supporting the mission and goals of National Fentanyl Awareness Day in 2023, including increasing individual and public awareness of the impact of fake or counterfeit fentanyl pills on families and young people.

Supporting the mission and goals of National Fentanyl Awareness Day in 2023, 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, stimulants, or anxiety medications; Whereas drug traffickers are using fake or counterfeit pills to exploit the opioid crisis and prescription drug misuse; Whereas the Drug Enforcement Administration (referred to in this preamble as the DEA Whereas 6 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 50,000,000 counterfeit pills were seized within the last year, which represents 379,000,000 doses of illicit 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, and MDMA. Whereas, for the 12-month period ending in September 2022, more than 106,000 individuals in the United States died of drug-induced deaths, and 72,000 of those deaths involved illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids; Whereas, over the last 20 years, drug-induced deaths among individuals 15 to 35 years of age have increased 6-fold, largely driven by the increase in illicit fentanyl drugs; Whereas, for the 12-month period ending in June 2022, illicit fentanyl was involved in more deaths of individuals under 50 years of age 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 120 percent, a rate of increase which was 43 percent higher than the national rate and higher than the rate for any other 5-year age group; Whereas, between 2019 and 2021, the involvement of illicit fentanyl in drug overdose and poisoning deaths for individuals 14 to 18 years of age increased by 232 percent, a rate of increase which was 94 percent higher than the national rate and higher than the rate for any other 5-year age group; Whereas, in 2021, illicit fentanyl was involved in 80 percent of drug-induced deaths of individuals between 14 and 23 years of age, compared to 66 percent of drug-induced deaths of individuals of all ages; Whereas only 48 percent of youth and 36 percent of teens in the United States are aware that fentanyl is being used to create counterfeit pills; Whereas only 40 percent of youth and 31 percent of teens consider themselves knowledgeable about fentanyl; and Whereas, in 2021, there were 71,238 reported overdose deaths due to illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids: Now, therefore, be it That the Senate (1) supports the recognition and goals of National Fentanyl Awareness Day, which include increasing individual and public awareness of the impact of fake or counterfeit fentanyl pills on families and young people; (2) applauds the work of Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies that work to combat the proliferation of counterfeit pills; (3) encourages the use of existing authorities to proactively stop and prevent the spread of illicit counterfeit pills; and (4) designates May 9, 2023, as National Fentanyl Awareness Day

Summary: This resolution designates May 9, 2023, as National Fentanyl Awareness Day to bring attention to the impact of fake or counterfeit fentanyl pills.