Bruce’s Law, legislation to raise federal prevention and education efforts surrounding the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, has been reintroduced in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-AK and Dianne Feinstein, D-CA.
Senators Dan Sullivan, R-AK, Maggie Hassan, D-NH, and Tammy Baldwin, D-WI, are the original co-sponsors of the legislation, which is named after Robert “Bruce” Snodgrass, a 22-year-old Alaskan who died in 2021 from fentanyl poisoning.
Murkowski said that the fentanyl crisis is intensifying, with alarming increases in the number of poisonings and deaths in Alaska and across the country—particularly among unsuspecting young people.
“Those deaths cause heartbreak and devastation for families and communities, but many could be prevented through better education and awareness,” she said. “Alaskans have helped shape this bill, and I especially thank Bruce’s mom, Sandy, for her relentless advocacy. I’m looking forward to getting this bipartisan effort over the finish line.”
“The tidal wave of fentanyl, made in China and transported through our porous southern border, is poisoning our kids,” Sullivan said. “The tragic loss of Bruce Snodgrass demonstrates that no community is beyond the reach of this deadly, insidious crisis. Alaska has the sad distinction of the highest rate of overdose deaths per capita of any place in the country.”
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued its first public safety alert in six years in 2021, warning Americans about fake prescription pills and drugs containing meth and fentanyl, which is 50 times more powerful than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.
The DEA alert came with a rise in the overdoses and deaths caused by counterfeit drugs containing fentanyl being mass-produced by criminal networks.
