Sometimes, it’s hard to develop agreements in legislative settings. But Kansas lawmakers say they are united against the dangers of fentanyl.
Senator Roger Marshall joined Congressional Representatives Jake LaTurner, Tracey Mann, Sharice David and Ron Estes for a public service announcement on the hazards. Mirroring comments to KVOE News from agents with Homeland Security Investigations, the lawmakers say the fentanyl trade has become dominated by international drug cartels — and the lawmakers say social media is an easy way to connect the drug with buyers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there was a nearly 200-percent increase in fentanyl deaths among 10- to 19-year-olds between 2019 and 2021. Fake pills were on hand in nearly 25 percent of those deaths.
Lawmakers from Kansas are supporting what they call the Cooper Davis Act, named after a Johnson County teenager killed after taking a counterfeit pain reliever. If passed by the full Congress, it would force social media companies to be more “proactive” in countering the illegal sale and distribution of drugs.
Other legislative goals
*The Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act would make the drug permanently a Schedule II narcotic like cocaine, methamphetamine and oxycodone.
*Combating Illicit Xylazine Act would make the drug a Schedule III narcotic. Xylazine is often mixed with fentanyl.
*Stop Fentanyl Border Crossings Act would let the US Department of Health and Human Services halt both migration and imports from foreign countries as a way to stop illicit drugs getting into the United States
*Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation Act would name four foreign illegal crime syndicates as foreign terrorist organizations
*Felony Murder for Deadly Fentanyl Distribution Act would make drug distributors eligible for felony murder when the person knows there is a certain amount of fentanyl being delivered and when the user is killed as a result of the drug intake.
*National Fentanyl Awareness Day would be set for May 9.
