Recognizing National Opioid Awareness Week

Floor Speech

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Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize National Opioid Awareness Week. My home State of Kentucky has been one of the hardest hit by our Nation's ongoing opioid crisis. Sadly, over 1,300 Kentuckians died of a drug overdose in 2018.

I have been proud to work with my colleagues on the House Energy and Commerce Committee to combat the ongoing nationwide opioid epidemic. Next month we will honor the 1-year anniversary of the SUPPORT Act being signed into law. This landmark legislation is already helping communities prevent the rampant spread of opioid abuse, but more work needs to be done.

Last month I visited the Customs and Border Patrol international mail facility located at JFK Airport in New York. There I saw firsthand the dangers of illicit fentanyl coming through our borders. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be so potent it can kill anyone that comes in contact with it, including our law enforcement officers. I will continue to work with President Trump and my colleagues to stop fentanyl from coming to our country and help stop this epidemic from harming our communities.

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