[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 143 (Wednesday, September 6, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S4222]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                Fentanyl

  Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, I recall the first time I sat down with 
the late great Senator Bob Dole after I had been elected to Congress. 
And the purpose of that meeting was to get to know the Senator, but I 
had a big issue I was getting ready to vote on, and I wanted to get his 
advice. As I presented to him the legislation I was going to be voting 
on the next day, he stopped and looked at me, and he said: Roger, what 
you need to do is just go back to Kansas and listen to the people of 
Kansas. They will tell you the answer to that question.
  So this August was no different than any break I have had. Like many 
of my colleagues, we went back to our home States. I went from Wathena 
to Wichita, from small towns to big cities, from the inner city to 
rural America; and we listened. We sat down with unions, small 
businesses, big businesses, folks from financial services, and farmers 
and ranchers. We sat down with leaders from public schools and private 
schools.
  We had roundtables. We did multiple roundtables on childcare, 
homelessness. We sat down with multiple minority business owners, and 
we talked about the challenges they had, specifically about access to 
capital. We did roundtables on nutrition and healthcare.
  In Abilene, KS, we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Small 
Business Administration, founded by our 34th President of the United 
States, Kansans' own Dwight David Eisenhower; we participated in a DHS 
human trafficking event and in history. I thought I had seen all the 
history from Kansas, but we found two more locations that were 
underground railroads where they particularly housed freedom seekers--
one in the Quindaro Ruins of Kansas City, KS, and the John Brown cabin 
in Osawatomie.
  But of all the things we did that I think is important was our 
fentanyl awareness campaign: One Pill Can Kill.
  I am often asked about going from being a physician to a Senator and 
what is the difference. And I would describe that as a physician, I 
could impact maybe 30, 40, 50 people in one day; but as a U.S. Senator, 
I have the opportunity to impact thousands of people and to save lives. 
In this case, that is exactly what the goal of this One Pill Can Kill 
campaign was.
  We thought that as kids return to school would be an ideal time to 
get out that message that, indeed, one pill--one fake pill laced with 
fentanyl--can kill. Our entire Kansas delegation participated, and I am 
grateful for their support. We had over 100 Kansas organizations 
actively participate as well, reaching out to their own networks. From 
law enforcement, the KBI was outstanding, the sheriffs; our community 
health centers; colleges; high schools; health departments--anyone we 
could get to, to get that message out that one pill can kill.
  Every day, our staff did an incredible job of arming every one of the 
organizations with information to help get that word out. It resulted 
in thousands of social media posts across the State, and I am grateful 
for the local media--the newspapers, the radios, the television 
stations--that resulted in hundreds of articles that, indeed, one pill 
can kill.
  And I think the story is easy to tell, and that is what we tried to 
do was just tell the story of fentanyl, how the cartel is alive and 
well across the State of Kansas; that they are lacing Xanax, Adderall, 
and Percocet with fentanyl, and even marijuana they are lacing with it; 
that this is now the No. 1 killer of young adults.
  I am sad to say that most every day, we lose a Kansan to fentanyl 
poisoning. In fact, we are using Narcan 10, 15, 20 times a day. I 
talked to a fireman in Kansas City who said every day they are making 
runs because of fentanyl.
  And again, we just wanted to share the story of where fentanyl is 
being sold, how its sold, its deceptiveness, and the efforts required 
to combat it.
  I will just close with this: It is easier to get a fentanyl tablet 
and cheaper to get a fentanyl tablet delivered to your home than it is 
to order a piece of pizza. For a dollar a pill, you can now get 
fentanyl delivered to your home. And all it takes is just one of those 
pills to kill.
  For the sake of our children, I pray that we can secure our borders, 
that we would stop the influx of fentanyl into Kansas and the rest of 
this country. And in doing so, we can save literally hundreds, if not 
thousands, of lives. Our weeklong campaign pushed us closer to that 
goal.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.