President Biden Announced New Steps To Stop Flow Of Fentanyl Into U.S.

President Biden announced new steps taken as his administration works to counter the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. The American Medical Association says fentanyl takes the life of an American every five minutes.

President Biden gathered top White House officials for a meeting on how to stop the flow of illegal Fentanyl, a highly lethal synthetic drug.

The CDC reports overdose deaths involving opioids, primarily fentanyl, continue to climb. They report nearly 73,000 Americans died as a result in 2022.

"Too many are going to face looking at an empty chair for the first time at Thanksgiving," President Biden said.

The President wants to seize the momentum following last week’s Asia-Pacific economic forum. Mr. Biden secured commitments from the presidents of Mexico and China to curb fentanyl trafficking and production.

"China has already taken steps to shut down companies dealing in the illicit trade of precursor chemicals," President Biden said.

Even small amounts of Fentanyl are deadly.

Deric Kidd is taking the story of his 17-year-old son, Sebastian, to as many schools in Iowa as he can. He said his son thought he was taking Percocet to deal with physical and emotional pain.

He obtained pills through a contact on Snapchat.

"These social media companies allow with these apps to, you know, for for anybody to go online and purchase these illicit drugs and have them delivered to your doorstep if you're so inclined," Sebastian's father Deric Kidd said.

The Kidds hope telling Sebastian's story will help loosed the stigma around drug addiction and encourage young people who are struggling to ask for the help they need.