Senate Unanimously Passes Grassley-Shaheen Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Resolution

WASHINGTON - Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), co-chair of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) applauded the Senate's unanimous passage of their resolution designating August 21, 2024, as "Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day." The bipartisan effort aims to drive awareness of the dangers of fentanyl and encourage drug-free lifestyles.

"Too many Americans know the pain of losing a loved one to fentanyl," Grassley said. "As we continue to fight the illegal production and flow of fentanyl, the Senate stands unified in our resolve to halt this crisis."

"In the Granite State, we've lost far too many lives to substance use disorder-a majority of which have been due to fentanyl overdoses," Shaheen said. "I'm proud to see this bipartisan resolution recognizing Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day pass the Senate unanimously - serving as both a memorial to the countless lives cut short by fentanyl overdoses and as a reminder that we still have so much more to do to address the substance use disorder crisis in communities across the nation."

Read the full resolution HERE.

Background

Fentanyl is a highly addictive synthetic opioid. In 2023, fentanyl overdose was the number one cause of death among Americans age 18 to 45. From October 2023 to June 2024, Customs and Border Protection personnel have seized more than 15,100 pounds of illicit fentanyl. One pound of fentanyl has the potential to kill more than 225,000 people.

Grassley is leading the bipartisan and bicameral DISPOSE Act to facilitate U.S. collaboration with global partners and ensure seized precursor chemicals, which form the basis of illicit drugs like fentanyl, are destroyed. Grassley this year also introduced legislation to bolster money laundering statutes and held a Drug Caucus hearing to examine his report examining how cartels exploit Federal Aviation Administration loopholes to traffic drugs into the U.S. His bill to close those loopholes is now law.

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