National Fentanyl Awareness Day

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, the illegal drug fentanyl kills tens of thousands every year. Today marks National Fentanyl Awareness Day. I want to thank the senior Senator from New Hampshire for her collaboration with me in recognizing this day and the dangers that come from fentanyl.

In recent years, we have become too familiar with fentanyl's dangers. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost their lives, with the number totaling tens of thousands each year. That is why I worked with Senator Cassidy of Louisiana in getting legislation that we entitled the HALT Fentanyl Act passed into law and signed by the President last year. So now fentanyl is permanently scheduled, and law enforcement has more tools to remove the dangerous drugs from Americans' streets.

I want to commend President Trump and the Department of Justice for using those tools. Under President Trump's leadership, fentanyl seizures continue to reach record highs, and countless Americans are safer as a result.

I also want to thank law enforcement for their tireless efforts to keep Americans safe and their daily choice to protect all of us from dangerous drugs like fentanyl.

Now, there is another recent problem that has come up with fentanyl being mixed with another dangerous drug, xylazine. As chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I am committing to continue to combat dangerous drugs mixed with fentanyl. Again, xylazine is an example.

Under my leadership, our committee recently reported an important, as well as bipartisan, bill that would do just that. I will continue to push for passage of that legislation to stop the xylazine and fentanyl mixture.

Today, though, I join many in raising awareness concerning fentanyl's impact and in expressing my solidarity with those affected by this poison.

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