HR0809 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0809 LRB100 20362 MST 35656 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The opioid epidemic is the most significant public health and public safety crisis in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Opioid overdoses have killed nearly 11,000 people since 2008 and have now become the leading cause of death nationwide for people under the age of 50; and

WHEREAS, According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), there has been a dramatic increase in the availability of dangerous synthetic opioids and the drug Fentanyl constitutes a large majority of such synthetic opioids; and

WHEREAS, Fentanyl is a powerful Schedule II narcotic and can cause serious negative health effects, including respiratory depression at very low doses and can even be lethal; and

WHEREAS, According to the DEA, Fentanyl, including its synthetic forms, has similar effects on the human body as morphine but is 50-100 times more potent than morphine; and

WHEREAS, Illicit Fentanyl, Fentanyl-related substances, and other synthetically made opioids resemble powerful drugs, such as heroin or cocaine and can be found as powder, pills, capsules, liquid, and on blotted paper; and

WHEREAS, Fentanyl exposure can occur via injection, oral ingestion, contact with mucous membranes, inhalation, and through the skin; and

WHEREAS, Because of its potency and its affinity for absorption into the human body, synthetic Fentanyl poses a real danger to first responders, public health officials, and law enforcement; and

WHEREAS, The DEA has issued warnings that law enforcement's accidental exposure to synthetic Fentanyl can occur during the execution of search or arrest warrants, the purchase of Fentanyl during undercover operations, the processing of drug evidence containing Fentanyl or Fentanyl-related substances, or the processing of non-drug evidence which could be contaminated with Fentanyl or its analogues; and

WHEREAS, It is imperative that law enforcement, public health officials, and first responders be knowledgeable about the situations in which exposure to Fentanyl or its analogues can occur and how to prevent such exposure; and

WHEREAS, To reduce their exposure to Fentanyl or its analogues, law enforcement, public health officials and first responders must follow their applicable standard safe operating procedures and use personal protective equipment to protect themselves from the dangerous effects of Fentanyl or its analogues; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge all first responders, law enforcement, and public health officials to be educated about the dangers of exposure to Fentanyl or its analogues; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge all Illinois first responders, law enforcement, and public health officials to take proper precautions to avoid potential overdose of Fentanyl or its analogues.