[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 799 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 799

 Supporting the goals and ideals of Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness 
                        Day on August 21, 2024.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 1, 2024

  Mr. Grassley (for himself and Mrs. Shaheen) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Supporting the goals and ideals of Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness 
                        Day on August 21, 2024.

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 illicit 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''), and hundreds of other organizations throughout 
        the United States;
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 illicit fentanyl crisis in the United States is a serious public 
        safety threat;
Whereas the illicit fentanyl poisoning rate in 2023 was among the highest in the 
        history of the United States, and fentanyl poisoning was the number 1 
        cause of death among people in 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\ of the more than 107,000 lives lost to drug overdoses in 2023;
Whereas, in 2023, the number of drug-related deaths throughout the United States 
        reached not less than 107,543;
Whereas individuals increasingly use pills or other drugs without knowing those 
        substances contain fentanyl;
Whereas, as of June 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel have 
        seized more than 15,100 pounds of illicit fentanyl, and Federal, State, 
        local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies continue to make record 
        breaking seizures of illicit fentanyl for the safety of the people of 
        the United States;
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 the use of illicit fentanyl and prevent 
        illicit 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
    Resolved, 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 illicit 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.
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