Janice Schakowsky: “I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me. I rise to agree with my colleagues that we are facing a crisis. The number…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me. I rise to agree with my colleagues that we are facing a crisis. The number of overdoses and deaths related to fentanyl has skyrocketed over the last few years; however, the emergency scheduling of fentanyl and its analogues or any other substance as a schedule I drug has serious criminal justice implications. We should not forget our history and what happened to communities of color during the failed war on drugs. We can't forget that classifying a substance as a schedule I drug comes with harsh mandatory minimum sentences that even the lowest quantity can trigger. We cannot forget that over 60 percent of people federally charged for drug possession and over 95 percent of people charged with drug trafficking receive a prison sentence. We should not forget that over 78 percent of people charged with a fentanyl trafficking offense are people of color. We must work together to prioritize a public health solution, not just a criminal justice one, to the fentanyl epidemic. We must remember that a criminal justice approach disproportionately impacts people of color and does not necessarily reduce the crime. I look forward to working with my colleagues to address the problems that this bill possibly could create.”