WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) hosted a Senate Law Enforcement Caucus roundtable yesterday featuring on-the-ground perspectives on the fentanyl and xylazine crises from Delaware and Texas. The Senators also discussed their bipartisan bill, the Fentanyl Safe Testing and Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act, which would make clear that fentanyl and xylazine testing strips are not considered illegal drug paraphernalia under federal law. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) also spoke about the drug overdose epidemic’s impact on their respective states.
“Fentanyl and xylazine are among the worst public health and law enforcement crises we’ve seen in my lifetime,” said Senator Coons. “This issue affects people from all walks of life. Fentanyl doesn’t care whether you’re an independent, a Democrat, or a Republican, and that’s why Senator Cornyn and I have come together to introduce commonsense legislation that supports law enforcement and public health officials.”
“The fentanyl crisis is not only a law enforcement matter; it’s a public health crisis,” said Senator Cornyn. “This is a nonpartisan issue, and I want to thank my colleague Senator Coons and others for joining together with law enforcement and public health officials to try to address this devastating epidemic.”
During the round table, Sandra Gibney, M.D., CEO and Medical Director of Gibney Mobile Healthcare – an organization she founded in Wilmington, Delaware, to treat and care for those experiencing homelessness or those who are otherwise underserved – provided a medical professional’s insight into the fentanyl and xylazine crises’ impact on a vulnerable patient population. Eric Wright, Ph.D., Superintendent of the Hays Consolidated Independent School District in Kyle, Texas, discussed his district’s proactive approach to combating fentanyl and xylazine abuse among students, a program that now serves as a model for other schools around the country. Dave Humes, who lost his son, Greg, to an accidental opioid overdose and is a founding member of the advocacy group atTAcK Addiction in Bear, Delaware, spoke about the group’s legislative successes across the country, including laws increasing access to naloxone, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses.
To offer perspective on law enforcement’s response to the drug overdose epidemic, Chief Wilfredo Campos of the Wilmington Police Department, Major Peter Sawyer of the Delaware State Police, and Lieutenant Allen Herring of the New Castle County Police Department in Delaware discussed the state’s approach to combating fentanyl and xylazine abuse. They emphasized the importance of law enforcement and public health officials working together to combat the epidemic and the need to ensure that departments have adequate resources to respond to the crises.
Senator Coons is Co-Chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.