Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 119
CHAPTER 115

Relative to National Fentanyl Awareness Day.

[ Filed with Secretary of State  June 20, 2024. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SCR 119, Umberg. National Fentanyl Awareness Day.
This measure would recognize May 7, 2024, as National Fentanyl Awareness Day.
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 United States Drug Enforcement Administration (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, Seven out of 10 pills with fentanyl tested by the DEA contain a potentially lethal dose; and
WHEREAS, Illicit fentanyl is the number one cause of accidental death among persons under 55 years of age; and
WHEREAS, More than 20,400,000 counterfeit pills have been seized, with most having been laced with illicit fentanyl; 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, In the 12 months ending June 2023, over 75,000 people died of fentanyl-related overdoses; and
WHEREAS, Over the last 20 years, drug-induced deaths among persons 15 to 35 years of age, inclusive, have increased four-fold, driven largely by the increase in illicit fentanyl drugs in recent years; and
WHEREAS, From 2018 to 2022, inclusive, drug overdose and poisoning deaths for persons 15 to 19 years of age, inclusive, grew by 122 percent, twice as fast as the national rate and one of the fastest of all age groups; and
WHEREAS, Fake or counterfeit pills are easily accessible and often sold on social media and e-commerce platforms, making them available to teenagers and youth; and
WHEREAS, Eighty percent of teenage overdose deaths are caused by fentanyl; and
WHEREAS, Illicit fentanyl is involved in more youth deaths than all other drug-related deaths combined; and
WHEREAS, California has lost over 50,000 people to drug overdose and poisoning in the five-year period ending June 2023; and
WHEREAS, California’s drug deaths over the past five years have more than doubled, growing by 117 percent, nearly twice as fast as the national rate; and
WHEREAS, Fentanyl-involved drug deaths in California have grown nearly 10 times over five years, more than five times faster than the national rate; and
WHEREAS, California has lost over 1,000 teenagers between the ages of 15 to 19, to drug deaths over the past five years; and
WHEREAS, California’s teenage drug deaths over the past five years have grown by 159 percent, faster than the national rate; and
WHEREAS, Fentanyl-involved teenage drug deaths in California have grown nearly seven times over the past five years, more than twice as fast as the national rate; and
WHEREAS, In the 12-month period ending June 2023, 79 percent of teenage drug deaths in California involved fentanyl, while only 61 percent of all California drug deaths involved fentanyl; 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 recognizes May 7, 2024, 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.