S.R. 52 Summary

• Urges Hawaii state and county governments to prioritize and direct all available resources toward coordinated interagency collaboration and public-private partnerships to address the fentanyl epidemic.

• Notes that Hawaii experiences an increasing record number of drug overdose deaths, with greater than 30 percent caused by opioids, primarily fentanyl, and that one person dies of an overdose every 28 hours according to the CDC.

• Highlights that fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, with a lethal dose equivalent to 10-15 grains of table salt, and is being mixed into all known street drugs and pressed into counterfeit pills.

• References the Hawaii Island Fentanyl Task Force as a successful model, which has produced public awareness campaigns, conducted over 400 educational sessions, distributed over 12,000 Narcan kits, and held statewide summits.

• Directs transmission of the resolution to Hawaii's Congressional delegation, state and county officials, health agencies, medical boards, insurance commissioners, and local law enforcement.