Grassley, Butler Mark National Fentanyl Awareness Day

Grassley, Butler Mark National Fentanyl Awareness Day

WASHINGTON - Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced a resolution designating today, May 7, 2024, as National Fentanyl Awareness Day. The bipartisan effort aims to underscore and inform the public about the dangers of counterfeit fentanyl pills.

"Counterfeit pills are fueling devastating health crises in our communities," Grassley said. "Our resolution to drive awareness of these fentanyl pills is a signal the Senate stands unified in its efforts to put an end to the deadly drug."

"In my home state of California, fentanyl overdoses are behind 1 in 5 deaths of people aged 15 to 24. This resolution aims to raise public awareness on the dangers of fentanyl use, and bring attention to the work that is being done at all levels of government to address this public health emergency," Butler said. "As we work to combat the spread of this harmful drug, we stand in solidarity with the families and communities who have borne the brunt of this epidemic."

Grassley and Butler are joined by Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Angus King (I-Maine), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).

Read the full resolution HERE.

Background:

Drug overdose deaths have surged in recent years, with 109,000 recorded deaths over a twelve-month period from November 2022 to November 2023. This is largely due to the proliferation of fentanyl. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 2023 seized more than 79.5 million fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills, up 37 percent from 2022. The agency estimates 70 percent of these laced pills contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.

Drug traffickers often market counterfeit fentanyl pills to young Americans through social media. Illicit fentanyl is involved in more youth deaths than all other drug types combined. At the end of 2022, only 48 percent of American youth was aware of fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills.

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