By: Alexandra Wong
On Saturday, the White House was surrounded by hundreds of people demanding the government push for better education about the risks of a synthetic opioid 50 times more dangerous than heroin–fentanyl.
According to the CDC, more than 71,000 people died from synthetic opioid overdoses in 2021. One crucial reason for this high number is due to the lack of education on fentanyl’s dangers. A mothers’ group on Facebook of almost 19,000 members, Lost Voices of Fentanyl, says the Biden administration must do more to prevent the trafficking of fentanyl across the border and raise awareness of its dangers to better prevent the use of the deadly drug. They are pushing for a “covid-like response” to fentanyl, as it is a problem that has affected America for longer than Covid-19. They are also pushing for fentanyl to be classified as a weapon of mass destruction and for drug cartels to be recognized as foreign terrorist organizations.
Thus, 18 state attorneys wrote to President Biden to lead the way to legislative change in this battle. The director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Rahul Gupta, responded by saying one of Biden’s “top priorities” is beating this fentanyl crisis. “We are laser-focused on immediate actions that will save American lives quickly,” he says. “We’re taking decisive steps to reduce the supply of illicit fentanyl, increase prevention efforts, and provide law enforcement and public health officials on the front lines with the resources they need.”
The Biden administration is now asking Congress for a $3.2 billion increase for drug control programs, totaling up to $42.5 billion.
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