Sen. Marshall Announces Cooper Davis Act to Fight Fentanyl Crisis

Press Release

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. announced his new legislation, the Cooper Davis Act, during a press conference this morning in Overland Park. The bill is named after Cooper Davis, a Johnson County teen who tragically lost his life to fentanyl poisoning last summer after taking half a fake Percocet pill that contained a lethal dose of fentanyl. It is believed the pill was purchased from a Missouri drug dealer through the social media platform Snapchat. Following his passing, Cooper's family launched the non-profit Keepin' Clean for Coop to keep his memory alive to save lives, raise awareness, and educate students and families.

Senator Marshall was joined at this morning's press conference by Cooper's mother, Libby Davis, as well as Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden. Senator Marshall said in part,

"Fentanyl is the deadliest drug our nation has ever seen, and most every day in Kansas somebody dies from fentanyl poisoning," said Senator Marshall. "Just one pill can kill, and in Cooper's case it only took half a pill. The Cooper Davis Act requires social media companies to report all illicit drug activity occurring on their platforms to law enforcement. Making this critical data accessible will empower state and local law enforcement to combat fake fentanyl-laced pills, and prosecute those who prey on America's youth. I am grateful to partner with Libby Davis to introduce this legislation named after her son, and I thank her for championing this serious issue. We will not rest in our fight to stop this terrible scourge wreaking havoc in Kansas -- Cooper deserves our best fight."

Libby Davis stressed the severity of the fentanyl epidemic in the United States during her remarks, saying in part,

"I want to thank Senator Marshall and his team for all their hard work on this bill…We lost our 16 year-old son Cooper just over a year ago after he took half of a pill he though was a prescription Percocet. His toxicology report revealed there was no Percocet at all, only fentanyl. He had been deceived to death… That day, Cooper made a decision that ended his life, and like so many other teens across our country, he did not get the chance to learn from his mistake…Social media apps should no be ok with their platforms being a vehicle for the Mexican cartels' drug distribution that results in the loss of countless American lives… A higher level of accountability for social media companies as it related to illicit drug activity is need more than ever…"

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