The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to discuss the dangers of fentanyl, its impact on communities, and legislative solutions. Fentanyl overdoses remain near record high, with data from 2023 revealing around 200 people die from fentanyl overdoses every day. The lethal dose of fentanyl is 2 milligrams; one teaspoon can kill 2,000 people.
During the hearing, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) called for Congress to pass the bi-partisan Halt Lethal Trafficking (HALT) Fentanyl Act to permanently classify fentanyl as a Schedule 1 substance. Grassley spoke to the importance of passing the bill, “Fentanyl is a substance easily changed by drug cartels to bypass the legal scheduling while becoming even more deadly. That's why in 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration scheduled fentanyl drug-offs as a class using a formula.” He added, “It's time to make this temporary scheduling permanent so that the drug cartels do not have the opportunity to flood our country with even deadlier versions of fentanyl.” Congress’s temporary scheduling of fentanyl expires on March 31st.
Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke to the importance of moving the Cooper Davis Act to require technology companies to take a more proactive role in stopping drug trafficking on their platforms.
Bridgette Norring, an impacted loved one, described her son Devin Joseph Norring and how he accidentally overdosed on fentanyl at age 19. Norring shared, “Devin had been suffering from blackout migraines and dental pain that he'd been under doctor's care for, and at the height of the pandemic, those appointments were canceled.” Norring stated, “The morning after Devin and an acquaintance went onto Snapchat and connected with a drug dealer, he was found unresponsive in his bedroom.” Norring added, “I now also know that social media platforms are one of the primary sources which unsuspecting teens buy all types of drugs, with the majority of them containing fentanyl.” Norring highlighted current law prevents social media companies like Snapchat from being held liable for overdoses caused by substances sold on their platforms.