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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Fentanyl Victims Remembrance Day is taking place on |
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September 23, 2023; and |
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WHEREAS, A highly addictive synthetic opioid, fentanyl has |
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fueled an alarming increase in overdose deaths, and it has impacted |
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communities across the nation, from large metropolitan areas to |
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rural counties; among Americans under the age of 50, the drug is |
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involved in a greater number of deaths than any other cause, proving |
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more lethal than cancer, heart disease, homicide, or suicide; as |
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little as two milligrams of fentanyl is a potentially deadly dose, |
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especially for individuals who do not have a tolerance to opioids; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and |
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Prevention, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl were involved in |
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67 percent of the more than 107,000 drug overdose and drug |
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poisoning deaths in the 12-month period ending in January 2022; in |
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some cases, the deaths were attributed to fentanyl mixed with other |
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substances, and many users were unaware that they were taking |
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fentanyl; and |
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WHEREAS, Each year, September 23 is set aside to honor and |
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remember all victims who tragically lost their lives to fentanyl |
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poisoning, to encourage support for their loved ones, and to warn |
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the public about the dangers posed by the drug; the observance is |
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led by fentanyl awareness organizations, community response teams, |
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and affected families; and |
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WHEREAS, More work remains to be done to assist the |
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individuals and communities impacted by fentanyl use, and Fentanyl |
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Victims Remembrance Day provides a fitting opportunity to affirm |
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our commitment to combatting this deadly drug threat; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature |
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hereby recognize September 23, 2023, as Fentanyl Victims |
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Remembrance Day and pay tribute to the memory of all those who have |
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died from fentanyl poisoning. |