Washington, D.C. — Florida Congressman Daniel Webster, R-Clermont, joined Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), and twelve colleagues yesterday to reintroduce the Protecting Kids from Fentanyl Act of 2023. This bipartisan legislation would allow states to use the $146 million in grant funding through the Department of Health and Human Services to educate children and provide training and naloxone to teachers and school employees to save lives.
 
“The fentanyl crisis continues to ravage our country and communities, accounting for a majority of drug overdose deaths in adolescents,” said Rep. Webster. “This bipartisan legislation would provide schools the tools needed to help combat this dangerous substance and protect our children. Life is a precious gift, and I am committed providing the lifesaving resources necessary to address this epidemic.”
 
The Protecting Kids from Fentanyl Act of 2023 will allow states to utilize existing grant funds within the Preventative Health and Health Services Block Grant to:

• Purchase naloxone or other opioid antagonists for use in educational institutions.
• Provide training to school nurses, teachers, school administrators, and school resource officers on how to administer naloxone.
• Provide fentanyl awareness classes or materials to students so that they may better understand the dangers of fentanyl and its presence in counterfeit pills and tainted drugs.

Background:

• In 2022, fentanyl killed more than 70,000 people in the United States, making up more than 50% of all overdose deaths. Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than Heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine and is often used to cut other drugs because it is cheaper and less is necessary for the same effects. 
• In El Paso County fentanyl overdoses rose from 21 in 2019 to 120 in 2023. According to the El Paso County Coroner, 85% of accidental overdoses in 2020 involved fentanyl. 
• Teenagers are increasingly being exposed to fentanyl through counterfeit versions of medications like oxycodone (Percocet, Oxycontin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), and benzodiazepines. 
• Illicit fentanyl is powerful, easily made, and easy to transport, making it a popular and profitable narcotic for drug traffickers. 
• Two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person's body size, tolerance, and past usage. 
• Teens often end up buying fake pills that look like commonly used prescription medications but are contaminated with fentanyl. It is estimated that at least one-third of those illicitly manufactured pills are contaminated with fentanyl. 
• A recent study found that fentanyl-related deaths among adolescents increased from 253 in 2019 to 680 in 2020. In 2021, 77% of all teen overdose deaths involved fentanyl. 
• Drug dealers are relying on social media to target teens and sell both illicit and counterfeit prescription drugs. Over a two-month span in 2021, the DEA identified 76 cases that involved drug traffickers that used emojis and code words to advertise drugs on social media apps and other platforms used to sell items online.

 
Additional sponsors include Representatives Joe Neguse (D-CO), Rick Allen (R-GA), Don Davis (D-NC), Jake LaTurner (R-KS), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Dean Phillips (D-MN), Austin Scott (R-GA), Ronny Jackson (R-TX), August Pfluger (R-TX), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Tony Gonzales (R-TX), and Tracey Mann (R-KS).