In a battle against a soaring number of drug overdoses, a Bipartisan Fentanyl Prevention Caucus has been launched through the efforts of U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA), along with Reps. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Joe Neguse (D-CO) and Madeleine Dean (D-PA).
The fight to stop the nationwide death toll related to fentanyl will combine this bipartisan team with the efforts of federal and state law enforcement in saving lives. It will also target both Congress and the public in an education campaign focusing on the dangers of this drug that has a fatal grip on towns across U.S., according to a press release issued by Calvert.
“Fentanyl is devastating the lives of Americans in every corner of our country. With fentanyl-related deaths climbing every year, we need new solutions to stop this alarming trend," Calvert said in the release. "This is not a partisan issue – it’s a national crisis. I’m hopeful that by working in a bipartisan manner, the Fentanyl Prevention Caucus can help educate Americans on the dangers of fentanyl and provide real solutions that will stop the destruction of this deadly drug.”
According to the release, the Caucus is designed to task members from "both sides of the aisle" with the common goal of reducing the fentanyl's spiraling rate of overdoses and drug poisonings.
"Fentanyl is not a new danger. But the deadly threat it poses has now reached every corner of our country and no community is being spared," Issa said in the release. "We’ve lost so many lives to this scourge. So many families will never be the same. The stakes could not be more clear: If we don’t win the fentanyl fight, we’re not going to just lose my community or my neighbor’s. Or any one of my colleague's. We’re going to lose this country. This caucus is needed now as we tell the truth, develop solutions and save lives.”
According to "Faces of Fentanyl", a website dedicated to enlightening the public on fentanyl, treatment resources and overdose data for Riverside County, 401 individuals lost their lives to fentanyl overdoses in 2022. The victims proved to be predominately male (315).
Additionally, the age bracket most heavily reflected in these deaths was 25-44, which accounted for 206 overdoses, followed by those ages 45-64, which totaled 130 fatalities. Statistics also show 49 of the overdoses impacted those ages 15-24. The bulk of the overdoses, 195, stemmed from a deadly cocktail of fentanyl combined with methamphetamine.
According to a report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 107,375 individuals in this country died of drug overdoses and drug poisonings in 2021 to 2022. Most of these deaths, a total of 67%, resulted from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.