Senate Concurrent Resolution
No. 100
CHAPTER 76
Relative to National Fentanyl Awareness Day.
[
Filed with
Secretary of State
June 08, 2022.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SCR 100, Umberg.
National Fentanyl Awareness Day.
This measure would designate May 10, 2022, as National Fentanyl Awareness Day.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee:
NO WHEREAS, Drug traffickers mass-produce fake or counterfeit pills in an effort to falsely market them as legitimate prescription pills, resulting in deceptions and threats to the American public; and
WHEREAS, The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has observed a dramatic rise in the number of counterfeit pills containing at least two milligrams of fentanyl, which is considered a deadly dose; and
WHEREAS, Four out of 10 pills with fentanyl tested by the DEA contain a potentially lethal dose; and
WHEREAS, The number of law enforcement-seized counterfeit pills with fentanyl has increased by nearly 502 percent since 2019; and
WHEREAS, More than 9,500,000 counterfeit pills were seized within the last year, which exceeds the total number of counterfeit pills seized for the previous two years combined; and
WHEREAS, Fake or counterfeit pills have been identified in all 50 states and the District of Columbia; and
WHEREAS, Illicit fentanyl has also been detected in street drugs such as heroin and cocaine; and
WHEREAS, For the 12-month period ending October 2021, more than 105,000 Americans died due to drug-induced deaths, including 69,000 deaths involving illicit fentanyl; and
WHEREAS, Over the last 20 years, drug-induced deaths among those 15 to 35 years of age, inclusive, have increased six-fold, largely driven by the increase in illicit fentanyl drugs; and
WHEREAS, In 2020, drug overdose and poisoning deaths for persons 14 to 18 years of age, inclusive, grew by 169 percent, more than three times as fast as the national rate and faster than any other five-year age group; and
WHEREAS, Fake counterfeit pills are easily accessible and often sold on social media and e-commerce platforms, making them available to teens and youth; and
WHEREAS, Illicit fentanyl is involved in more youth deaths than all other drug-related deaths combined; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature supports the recognition and goals of National Fentanyl Awareness Day, which includes increasing individual and public awareness of the impact of fake or counterfeit fentanyl pills on families and young people; applauds the work of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies that work to combat the proliferation of counterfeit pills; encourages the use of existing authorities to proactively stop and prevent the spread of illicit counterfeit pills; and designates May 10, 2022, as National Fentanyl Awareness Day; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.