Big Sky Times

Daines Releases Next Video in Series Illustrating Montanans Affected by Fentanyl Crisis 

Washington, D.C. – As fentanyl continues to devastate Montana communities, U.S. Senator Steve Daines launched a video series highlighting Montanans affected by the fentanyl crisis. Each week, Daines will highlight a video on his social media channels of a Montanan talking about how President Biden’s failure to secure the southern border and stop the flow of fentanyl into Montana communities affects them personally.    

This week, Senator Daines is highlighting the story of Billings Fire Captain George Richards. Captain Richards has been a firefighter for 23 years and has spent 17 years with the Billings Fire Department. He shares how the increase of fentanyl affects not only Montanans, but the safety of first responders.

“President Biden’s wide open southern border has allowed deadly drugs like fentanyl to flood our streets, and now our first responders are exposed to these dangerous drugs as they work to protect our communities. I hope President Biden listens to stories like Captain Richards’ and gets serious about securing our southern border,” said Daines. 

Background:

Since Biden took office, more than 35,000 pounds of fentanyl have been seized at the southern border. Drug overdoses, largely driven by fentanyl, are now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45.

According to Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, anti-drug task forces in Montana seized twice as much fentanyl in the first three quarters of 2022 than they did in the last four years combined. Last year, Montana’s state crime lab also saw that fatal overdoses linked to fentanyl were up more than 1,100% since 2017.

Original source can be found here.