[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 145 (Wednesday, September 11, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H7605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING NATIONAL OPIOID AWARENESS WEEK

  (Mr. GUTHRIE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize National Opioid 
Awareness Week. My home State of Kentucky has been one of the hardest 
hit by our Nation's ongoing opioid crisis. Sadly, over 1,300 
Kentuckians died of a drug overdose in 2018.
  I have been proud to work with my colleagues on the House Energy and 
Commerce Committee to combat the ongoing nationwide opioid epidemic. 
Next month we will honor the 1-year anniversary of the SUPPORT Act 
being signed into law. This landmark legislation is already helping 
communities prevent the rampant spread of opioid abuse, but more work 
needs to be done.
  Last month I visited the Customs and Border Patrol international mail 
facility located at JFK Airport in New York. There I saw firsthand the 
dangers of illicit fentanyl coming through our borders. Fentanyl is a 
synthetic opioid that can be so potent it can kill anyone that comes in 
contact with it, including our law enforcement officers. I will 
continue to work with President Trump and my colleagues to stop 
fentanyl from coming to our country and help stop this epidemic from 
harming our communities.

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