Wednesday, Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) spoke at a press conference about how problems at our southern border are affecting law enforcement officers in Indiana and across the country. Senator Young also discussed the impact of the drug fentanyl on Hoosiers.
Excerpts from Senator Young’s remarks are below:
“According to the National Center for Health Statistics, more than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses during the pandemic’s first year. 100,000 Americans. That’s double the figure from 2015, and more than were killed in car crashes and gun fatalities.
“A huge contributor to that number, we know, is the drug fentanyl, most of the supplies of fentanyl comes across our southwestern border. It’s usually laced into another drug, so people have no idea what they’re taking it until it’s too late.
“But don’t take my word for it. Let me share how this crisis is affecting Hoosiers.
“When discussing fentanyl overdoses, the sheriff in Brown County said: ‘The toll it takes on the community is terrible and continues to get worse.’
“A representative from the LaPorte County coroner’s office told my staff about the prevalence of fentanyl in the drug-related cases. She said this substance has been associated with approximately 98% of all drug overdose deaths in the county.
“In Marion County, where Indianapolis is located, they had 641 fentanyl deaths in 2021. The coroner in my home county, Johnson County, reports 95% of their drug overdoses that led to deaths involve fentanyl.
“Earlier this week, the police department in Plainfield, Indiana announced a substantial fentanyl drug bust and issued a warning, calling it a ‘very serious, addictive and deadly drug’ that the police department has seen firsthand destroy families and communities.”
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“We have to secure the border. The surge in illegal border crossings over the past year has forced Customs and Border Protection to shift resources away from drug interdiction to processing migrants.”
To watch Senator Young’s remarks, click here.
