Title: 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.
Policy area: Health

Summary:
This resolution supports the designation of National Fentanyl Awareness Day, including to bring attention to the presence of fentanyl in fake or counterfeit pills. (Fentanyl is a potent prescription opioid for treating severe pain that is also made and used illegally.)

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1102 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1102

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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 10, 2022

   Mr. Trone (for himself, Mr. Upton, Ms. Dean, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. 
  Pappas, and Mr. Ryan) submitted the following resolution; which was 
 referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to 
    the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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 counterfeit pills and falsely 
        marketing counterfeit pills as legitimate prescription pills to deceive 
        the people of the United States;
Whereas many 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 nonmedical use of prescription drugs;
Whereas the Drug Enforcement Administration (referred to in this resolution as 
        the ``DEA'') has observed a dramatic rise in the number of counterfeit 
        pills containing not less than 2 milligrams of fentanyl, which is 
        considered a deadly dose among people without opioid tolerance;
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 is contaminating other drugs such as heroin and 
        cocaine;
Whereas, for the 12-month period ending in November 2021, more than 105,000 
        individuals in the United States died of drug-induced deaths, and 70,000 
        of those deaths involved illicit synthetic opioids, including 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 
        drugs containing fentanyl;
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 synthetic 
        opioids, including fentanyl;
Whereas racial disparities in rates of fatal opioid-related overdoses are 
        increasing, and rates among non-Hispanic Black individuals has surpassed 
        rates among non-Hispanic White individuals;
Whereas 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-involved drug overdoses 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;
Whereas it is estimated that fatal overdoses cost the United States 
        approximately $1,000,000,000,000 annually; and
Whereas, in 2020, there were 56,516 reported overdose deaths due to synthetic 
        opioids: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the recognition and goals of National Fentanyl 
        Awareness Day, which include increasing individual and public 
        awareness of the presence of fentanyl in fake or counterfeit 
        pills and drugs such as heroin and cocaine, as well as its 
        impact on families and young people;
            (2) applauds the work of Federal, State, and local public 
        health, law enforcement, and other agencies that work to combat 
        the proliferation of counterfeit pills and their harms to 
        health;
            (3) encourages the use of existing strategies and 
        authorities to proactively stop and prevent the spread of 
        illicit synthetic opioids; and
            (4) supports the designation of a ``National Fentanyl 
        Awareness Day''.
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