Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for H.R. 449, the Synthetic Drug Awareness Act of 2018. Synthetic drugs, such as synthetic marijuana and bath salts, are produced in the lab and can have chemical structures that are designed to mimic or even enhance those naturally occurring drugs. Fentanyl, another synthetic drug, a substance that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, has numerous analogs. These drugs are modified to circumvent the Drug Enforcement Administration's scheduling regime and are a serious public health risk. That is why H.R. 449 is so important, because it will require the United States Surgeon General to submit a comprehensive report to Congress on the public health effects of synthetic drug use among youth. I would like to thank my colleague from New York, Representative Hakeem Jeffries, for his hard work on this important initiative, along with Representatives Chris Collins, G.K. Butterfield, and Trey Gowdy. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. {time} 1415”