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Synthetic Opioid Overdose Deaths Continue to Skyrocket

Floor Speech

Date: Dec. 8, 2021
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today saddened as deaths involving synthetic opioids continue to skyrocket.

In my district, in Pasco County, Florida, 193 people have died from fentanyl overdose since January. I have also received hundreds of heartbreaking stories from constituents whose families have been devastated by addiction.

One constituent, MaryAnne said: ``I lost my son in June of 2021 to a fentanyl overdose. The system failed me in every single way. With open borders, enough fentanyl came pouring into our country's southern border to kill 70 percent of our population. Sadly, my son is one of those statistics.'' Parents like MaryAnne are the faces of the fentanyl crisis.

Mr. Speaker, the tragedies these families have experienced are the reason why we must fight back. We must secure our borders, Mr. Speaker. We must place fentanyl-related substances into schedule I, and we must hold China accountable.

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