House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., said the fentanyl crisis has affected all communities in the U.S. and must be stopped.
In a June 21 Health Subcommittee hearing, Rodgers promoted the SUPPORT Act and others which continue to fight against the fentanyl crisis, according to a news release.
“This crisis has hit every community. We all know people and families who need to be rescued from despair,” she said in the release. “For them, we must keep working together to ensure these solutions provide the support and tools people need to find meaning, purpose, and the chance for a better life.”
She noted it is important to "address the root causes of this crisis" to save more lives, the release reported.
“We need to cut off the supply of illegal drugs and hold traffickers accountable," Rodgers added, according to the release. "We need to better warn Americans and young people that any drug could be laced with fentanyl. We need to increase treatment options for people in need. And we need to help those in recovery stay on track and fully participate in their communities.”
Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., said police have strongly emphasized educating children on the topic of fentanyl as early as second grade due to the fact that every single common street drug now has the possibility of containing fentanyl, according to an interview with Federal Newswire. It is no longer “don’t take candy from strangers,” he said, but “don’t take candy from strangers because they might kill you,” he added.
“Every single time you are using a street drug, you're playing Russian roulette with your life,” Dunn told Federal Newswire.
“Fentanyl has taken over 100,000 lives in the United States in 2022 and is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18-45. No parent should have to bury their child due to a fentanyl overdose,” Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., said in a June 29 Twitter post.
Rodgers attributed many of the overdose-related issues to COVID-19 and the lockdowns it caused, according to the release.
“The government-enforced COVID-19 lockdowns set millions of Americans — who were on the road to recovery — backward. Additionally, the pandemic sent more people into despair, driving them to take up illicit drugs for the first time,” she said in the release.
In Washington, her home state, “overdose deaths have increased by 108% since 2019. That is the second largest increase in the country,” she added, according to the release.
“It’s time that we turn to strengthening the SUPPORT Act, landmark legislation signed into law to bolster treatment and recovery initiatives, improve prevention and fight fentanyl,” Rodgers said in the release.
She also expressed support for bills such as the Protecting Moms and Infants Reauthorization Act, the Safer Response Act and the RECONNECTS Act, according to the release.
