Shaheen, Grassley Highlight National Fentanyl Awareness Day

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced a resolution designating April 29, 2025, as “National Fentanyl Awareness Day” to raise awareness about the dangers fentanyl poses to Americans and their families. The resolution was unanimously passed by the U.S. Senate.

“There’s always more we can and should be doing to address the substance use disorder crisis and prevent more Granite Staters from dying of drug overdoses,” said Senator Shaheen. “Our resolution memorializes the lives that have been lost to this epidemic and underscores the need to raise awareness and commit more resources to combating the flow of fentanyl into our communities.”

“Fentanyl overdoses claimed the lives of more than 58,000 Americans last year, many of whom suffered from accidental poisonings after taking counterfeit prescription pills. President Trump has taken strong action to stem the flow of fentanyl pills. Additionally, Congress must act to hold corporations accountable for their role in the illicit drug trade,” Grassley said. “Our resolution demonstrates continuing resolve to put an end to America’s fentanyl epidemic.”

A copy of the Resolution can be found here.

Senator Shaheen has led efforts to address the substance use disorder epidemic in the Granite State. Earlier this month, Shaheen led the New Hampshire Congressional delegation in calling on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to immediately restore more than $80 million in federal funding cut from HHS that New Hampshire relies on to help communities address the substance use disorder and mental health crises. Shaheen recently held a roundtable at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Concord to highlight the consequences of these cuts. Shaheen also recently introduced the bipartisan Keeping Drugs Out of Schools Act with Senator Grassley that would help prevent youth opioid use and overdoses by establishing a new grant program that allows current or former Drug-Free Communities (DFC) coalitions to partner with schools to provide resources educating students about the dangers of synthetic opioids.

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