{"id":2002076,"date":"2023-08-16T03:46:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-16T07:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senators-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-prevent-fentanyl-deaths-with-testing-strips\/"},"modified":"2023-08-16T03:48:55","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T07:48:55","slug":"senators-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-prevent-fentanyl-deaths-with-testing-strips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senators-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-prevent-fentanyl-deaths-with-testing-strips\/","title":{"rendered":"Senators propose bill to curb fentanyl deaths with testing strips."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsenators-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-prevent-fentanyl-deaths-with-testing-strips%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2002076&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>A \u2062handful of U.S. senators have\u2063 introduced legislation to increase access to fentanyl testing strips in an effort to prevent fentanyl poisoning deaths.<\/p>\n<p>The proposal, known as the\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/118th-congress\/senate-bill\/2569?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22s2569%22%5D%7D&#038;s=4&#038;r=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fentanyl \u2064Safe Testing and Overdose Act<\/a>,\u200b would amend \u200dthe Controlled Substances Act to\u200b decriminalize the possession and\u200b use of testing strips,\u200b which \u200bare currently classified \u2062as \u200bdrug\u200c paraphernalia.<\/p>\n<p>The bill was authored by\u200b Sen.\u2064 John Cornyn (R-Texas), whose \u2063state has \u200cseen a significant increase in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fentanyl-deaths-skyrocket-becoming-nations-leading-killer-for-adults-age-18-45\/\" title=\"Fentanyl Deaths Skyrocket, Becoming Nation\u2019s Leading Killer For Adults Age 18-45\">fentanyl-related deaths<\/a> in recent years.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Related Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/central-texas-school-district-fights-to-save-students-from-fentanyl-poisoning-5050196\">Central Texas School District Fights to\u200b Save\u2064 Students From Fentanyl Poisoning<\/a><br \/>\n        <br \/>\n        <span>2\/15\/2023<\/span>\n      <\/li>\n<li>\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/fentanyl-overdoses-among-service-members-is-serious-problem-pentagon-says-5060713\">Fentanyl Overdoses Among Service Members Is &#8216;Serious Problem,&#8217; \u2064Pentagon Says<\/a><br \/>\n        <br \/>\n        <span>2\/17\/2023<\/span>\n      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The bipartisan\u200c legislation is\u200c co-sponsored by Republican \u200bSens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and\u2063 Bill Cassidy (R-La.), along with Democrat Sens. Chris\u200b Coons\u200c (D-Del.) and Amy Klobuchar\u2062 (D-Minn).<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Fentanyl \u2063is\u200d ravaging Texas communities, and poisonings among children and teenagers \u2063have\u2064 skyrocketed\u2062 in recent years given the \u200brise in\u2062 fake \u200bprescription pills\u200d containing this deadly drug,&#8221;\u2062 Mr. Cornyn said in a \u200djoint <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cornyn.senate.gov\/news\/cornyn-colleagues-introduce-bill-to-prevent-fentanyl-poisoning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This legislation \u2062would\u2064 help prevent deaths \u200ddue to fentanyl\u2063 poisoning \u2064by giving people the tools to identify\u200b it, \u2062and I\u200c urge my colleagues to pass it without \u200cdelay.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>From \u200c2020 to \u200d2021, fentanyl-related \u200cdeaths in Texas nearly doubled\u200c year over \u2064year, with 891\u2062 and \u200c1,645, respectively. And last year, there were 2,161 deaths in \u2062the state attributed to the synthetic opioid,\u2062 which is 50 times more powerful than heroin \u2063and 100 times stronger than morphine.<\/p>\n<h2>Roundtable Discussion<\/h2>\n<p>Earlier this \u2064year, Mr. Cornyn was part of a roundtable discussion in Hays \u200dCounty, Texas, \u2063to bring awareness to the fentanyl crisis. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senators-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-prevent-fentanyl-deaths-with-testing-strips\/\" title=\"Senators propose bill to curb fentanyl deaths with testing strips.\">joined \u200clocal \u2063law\u2062 enforcement<\/a>, \u200bHays County ISD\u2062 leadership, and parents whose children died \u200dfrom accidental fentanyl poisonings.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Listening to parents who&#8217;ve got these young, teenage kids\u2062 with a lot of potential and full of life\u2014just lose them to this drug\u2014is heartbreaking,&#8221; Mr. Cornyn told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2023\/08\/14\/fentanyl-john-cornyn-policy-priority\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The\u200d Texas Tribune<\/a>. &#8220;And it&#8217;s gotten \u200dme so passionate about trying to do something.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/consider-this-your-sign-to-start-homeschooling-your-kids\/\" title=\"Consider This Your Sign To Start Homeschooling Your Kids\">school district lost<\/a> \u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/central-texas-school-district-fights-to-save-students-from-fentanyl-poisoning-5050196?utm_source=open&#038;utm_medium=search\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">five students<\/a> to the illicit drug over a six-month period.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Fentanyl test strips in \u200ba container and Narcan at The\u200d Legionnaire bar in Oakland, Calif., on March 3, 2022. (Nathan Frandino\/Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Janel Rodriguez&#8217;s 15-year-old son\u200b Noah Rodriguez was one of the five students who \u2064died after taking a fake pill that contained\u2064 fentanyl. Noah\u2062 died on\u2062 Aug. 22, 2022, just a few days after he started his sophomore year.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Senator\u200c Cornyn&#8217;s bipartisan fentanyl \u2063test strip is a major step in the right\u200d direction when \u200dit comes to preventing fentanyl-related deaths\u200b in the \u2062United \u2064States,&#8221;\u2062 Ms.\u200c Rodriguez told \u2064The \u2064Epoch Times in an email.<\/p>\n<p>During the Texas \u200cLegislative session, lawmakers unanimously passed House Bill 362\u2063 to decriminalize fentanyl testing strips, but the measure never made it\u200b to Gov. \u200dGreg Abbott&#8217;s \u2062desk. \u200c(<a href=\"https:\/\/capitol.texas.gov\/BillLookup\/History.aspx?LegSess=88R&#038;Bill=HB362\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pdf<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Texas has \u200cseen a \u2063dramatic\u2063 increase \u200bin fentanyl-related poisonings \u2062in the\u2063 last 12 months, and legalizing testing strips is an\u2064 important component of a \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-orders-l-a-to-offer-housing-to-homeless-population-on-skid-row-says-city-and-county-created-a-legacy-of-entrenched-structural-racism\/\" title=\"Judge Orders L.A. To Offer Housing To Homeless Population On Skid Row, Says City And County \u2018Created A Legacy Of Entrenched Structural Racism\u2019\">multi-faceted approach<\/a> to\u200c reducing \u2063and eliminating the dangers posed by fentanyl,&#8221; said Ms. Rodriguez, who founded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forever15project.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forever15Project<\/a> to \u2064bring awareness\u200d about the\u200c dangers \u2064of fentanyl.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>A \u2063billboard\u2063 in Kyle, Texas, features \u200dthree Hays\u2064 CISD students who died from fentanyl poisonings in July and\u200c August of 2022. (Courtesy of Forever15Project.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>From 2020 to 2021, fentanyl-related\u2064 deaths in\u200b Texas nearly doubled year over year,\u200c with 891 and 1,645, respectively.\u200c And last year, there were 2,161 deaths in the state attributed to the synthetic opioid, \u200cwhich is 50 times more powerful than \u2062heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.<\/p>\n<h2>National Crisis<\/h2>\n<p>The fentanyl crisis is not limited \u200bto \u2062the southern\u2063 border state.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Over 100,000 Americans\u200b died from drug deaths last year, many after\u2064 ingesting fentanyl. This legislation\u200d will help prevent overdoses \u2064by making it \u200ceasier for medical\u2063 clinics and individuals to rapidly test \u2064illegal drugs to \u2064find out if\u2063 they have \u2062fentanyl in them,&#8221; Mr. Cotton said.<\/p>\n<p>The testing strips will not\u2062 prevent illegal drugs from coming across the border, but the bipartisan\u200d group of lawmakers \u2063believes they are a tool to help save lives.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This alone will not solve the drug crisis we face, but it will help \u2062prevent \u200boverdoses by people who didn&#8217;t \u200brealize fentanyl was \u200din the \u200bdrugs they took,&#8221; Mr. Cotton continued.<\/p>\n<p>Critics argue \u2064that the reclassification of the testing strips could \u200cencourage drug use, but Mr. \u200dCornyn told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2023\/08\/14\/fentanyl-john-cornyn-policy-priority\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Texas Tribune<\/a> the legislation is part of a &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-ag-brnovich-calls-on-gov-ducey-to-take-three-actions-to-address-border-crisis\/\" title=\"Arizona AG Brnovich Calls On Gov. Ducey To Take Three Actions To Address Border Crisis\">multi-pronged approach<\/a>&#8221; that begins at the Texas border.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Because once the fentanyl \u2064gets across the border, then we&#8217;ve\u200b basically lost \u2063the battle,&#8221;\u2063 Mr. Cornyn said.<\/p>\n<p>Fake pills are laced \u200cwith fatal doses \u2063of \u2062fentanyl that look identical to prescription drugs such\u200c as Percocet, Vicodin, \u200cXanax, or\u200d other drugs. Illicit drugs can be purchased \u200beasily through social media apps.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The fentanyl crisis has\u200d been exacerbated by the fact\u2063 that, too often, \u2062those harmed by this deadly substance do not even realize \u200bthey are \u2062ingesting it,&#8221; Ms. Klobchar said.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, Rhode Island became the \u200dfirst s<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. senators aim to prevent fentanyl poisoning deaths by introducing the Fentanyl Safe Testing and Overdose Act. This legislation would decriminalize the possession and use of testing strips, currently considered drug paraphernalia, to enhance access and safety. The proposal seeks to amend the Controlled Substances Act.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1556,"featured_media":2002077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2002076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2002076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1556"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2002076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2002076\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2002077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2002076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2002076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2002076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}