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

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 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 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 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.

Summary: This resolution supports Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid and can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin. The resolution also encourages the people of the United States to promote the prevention of fentanyl use.