Fentanyl warning can’t be stated often enough

Even as little is being done to slow down the explosion of illegal drugs coming into the United States from the southern border, it was good to see some of our congressional leaders making an effort to attack the problem from another angle.
Over a dozen Republican lawmakers in Congress announced the “Felony Murder for Deadly Fentanyl Distribution Act” that should get strong support from both sides of the aisle.
The bill will allow illicit Fentanyl drug dealers to be charged with murder when one of their “customers” dies from taking their product.
While the flood of illegal immigrants coming into this country is one issue of its own, there are other problems coming with the two million plus people who have already crossed the border in 2022.
Drugs are being smuggled into our country at a record rate, and Fentanyl is the biggest concern of all due to the powerful nature of the drug. Fentanyl is more than 20 times as strong as most other drugs, and now it is being pressed into other pills, not to mention the latest trend of making the Fentanyl pills look like colored candies.
The amount of Fentanyl coming into the U.S. is mind boggling, and that is only considering the news reports we have heard. The Nogales, AZ, port of entry recently made a single seizure of 5.1 million pills and more than 42.2 pounds of Fentanyl powder.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has issued a warning for “rainbow” Fentanyl” pills that look like candy, but have a powerful synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. The agency also claims the drug is present in 18 states — meaning hundreds of thousands of pills are getting past CBP officers, Border Patrol agents and other law enforcement agencies.
Those reports are only a handful of other seizures that have included millions of pills.
While the real answer to all this is to bring back proper immigration procedures where each individual is vetted and properly approved to come to the U.S.—something that is perfectly acceptable—we appreciate the efforts in Congress to do something. Not only have the senators introduced the felony murder bill, but there is also a movement to hold the CEO’s of Instagram, TikTok, SnapChat and YouTube accountable for allowing the sale of these drugs through their platforms.
With all these concerns coming so close to home, as confirmed again last week when the Sheriff’s Office seized 11 pounds of Fentanyl powder in a Covington hotel room, the warning for parents and teens can’t be sounded often enough.
Parents must talk to their kids and make sure they understand the potential danger of taking a pill or any illegal drug. The “One Pill can Kill” slogan being promoted these days is 100 percent true and needs to be strongly heeded.