Marc Molinaro: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, should we do more? Of course, we should do more, but fentanyl is…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, should we do more? Of course, we should do more, but fentanyl is pouring into our country not only at our ports of entry, but across our borders. We did do more a week ago bolstering border security. Fentanyl is taking too many American lives, and I rise today in support of the HALT Fentanyl Act. This bill will help to combat the spread of fentanyl-related substances by permanently listing it as a schedule I drug, recognizing its deadly effects, giving our communities yet one more tool in a growing and necessary toolbox. The smallest amounts of these drugs can kill even just one person, and laced with other substances, they are taking countless lives. Accessibility and lethality of these drugs have fueled countless fatalities. Fentanyl poisoning is the number one cause of death among adults 18 to 49 years of age, more than cancer, more than heart disease, and more than car accidents. In upstate New York, the opioid crisis is devastating our communities, and it is being fueled by fentanyl. This is the public health crisis of our lifetime. In my home State, my district in Sullivan County, New York, has the highest opioid death rate in the entire State. That is why we are also pushing for Sullivan County to be designated a Federal High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.…”