[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 130 (Thursday, July 27, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3770-S3771]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 323--SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF FENTANYL 
            PREVENTION AND AWARENESS DAY ON AUGUST 21, 2023

  Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself and Mrs. Feinstein) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 323

       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''),

[[Page S3771]]

     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 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\ of the more 
     than 107,000 lives lost to drug overdoses in 2021;
       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
       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 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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