    [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 25, 2025)]
    [Senate]
    [Page S1358]
    From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

        SENATE RESOLUTION 95--EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE DESIGNATION OF
     FEBRUARY 23, 2025, TO MARCH 1, 2025, AS ``NATIONAL FENTANYL AWARENESS
    WEEK'' AND RAISING AWARENESS OF THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF FENTANYL IN THE
                                 UNITED STATES

      Mr. SCOTT of Florida (for himself and Mr. Justice) submitted the
    following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the
    Judiciary:

                                   S. Res. 95

           Whereas, as of August 2024, drug overdoses during the
         previous 12 months claimed a reported 86,678 lives in the
         United States;
           Whereas countless families in the United States are now
         facing the unimaginable pain of losing a child, mother,
         father, sibling or loved one taken by deadly, illegal
         fentanyl;
           Whereas the life expectancy in the United States remains
         impacted by the opioid crisis, with people born in 2023
         estimated to live 78.4 years;
           Whereas social isolation and poor support systems
         contribute to increased overdose risk among older adults;
           Whereas, from 2022 to 2023, adults aged 65 and older
         experienced the largest percentage increase in the rate of
         drug overdose deaths, with an increase of 11.4 percent;
           Whereas fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin, and
         is considered the deadliest drug threat in the United States;
           Whereas drug traffickers use illicit fentanyl to produce
         fake or counterfeit pills;
           Whereas drug traffickers are using fentanyl-laced fake or
         counterfeit pills to exploit the opioid crisis in the United
         States;
           Whereas, without laboratory testing, there is no safe way
         to know how much fentanyl is concentrated in a pill or
         powder;
           Whereas those illicit drugs are primarily made in secret
         factories in Mexico with chemicals mostly from China;
           Whereas the Drug Enforcement Agency has issued warnings
         about brightly-colored fentanyl-laced pills being used to
         target young individuals in the United States;
           Whereas less than 2 milligrams is considered a deadly dose
         of fentanyl;
           Whereas the Drug Enforcement Agency announced that in 2024
         alone, the Drug Enforcement Agency seized over 367,000,000
         doses of potentially deadly fentanyl, enough to kill every
         individual in the United States, which included--
           (1) more than 55,000,000 fentanyl-laced pills; and
           (2) 7,800 pounds of fentanyl powder;

           Whereas U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized more than
         21,889 pounds of fentanyl in fiscal year 2024;
           Whereas fentanyl has also been found in street drugs such
         as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine; and
           Whereas, according to data from the Centers for Disease
         Control and Prevention, fentanyl-related poisonings are
         currently the leading cause of death for individuals in the
         United States ages 18 to 45: Now, therefore, be it
           Resolved, That the Senate--
           (1) applauds the work of Federal, State, and local law
         enforcement agencies for their work in combating the fentanyl
         crisis;
           (2) applauds the work of treatment and recovery
         organizations that help individuals with substance use
         disorder;
           (3) encourages all individuals to only use medication
         prescribed through their physician;
           (4) encourages anyone suffering from substance use disorder
         to seek assistance; and
           (5) designates February 23, 2025, through March 1, 2025, as
         ``National Fentanyl Awareness Week''.

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