NE Washington News

Congressman Earl L. "Buddy" Carter, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, led a hearing focused on addressing illicit drug threats. During the session, members heard from patient advocates and experts, including law enforcement and medical professionals.

"One death due to illicit drugs is too many," stated Chairman Carter. He emphasized the need for solutions ranging from empowering law enforcement to supporting those with substance use disorder. "This Subcommittee has led on proposing solutions to these problems in the last Congress, and this hearing shows signs that we will continue to do so moving forward."

Rep. John Joyce highlighted efforts by President Trump to combat illicit fentanyl by designating Mexican cartels as a foreign terrorist organization and reaching an agreement with Mexico's president to deploy their National Guard. He criticized the previous administration's inaction, citing a rise in fentanyl poisoning.

Ray Cullen shared his personal story regarding his son Zach's death from fentanyl poisoning, explaining how it differs from an accidental overdose: "An accidental overdose is when someone takes something...more than what they were supposed to...Poisoning...means that someone took something that had something in it that they were not expecting."

Rep. Neal Dunn asked Dr. Westlake about changes in emergency room presentations of drug overdoses over recent years. Dr. Westlake noted the shift from prescription opioid overdoses to cases involving counterfeit substances like fentanyl: "The majority of overdoses that I see are people that are not aware that they're taking fentanyl."