WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today penned this column in LaPolitics’ Beltway Beat newsletter arguing that President Joe Biden must do more to help Louisiana combat fentanyl. Kennedy also urged Congress to support his Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act, a bill that would lower the amount of fentanyl a dealer must carry to face mandatory minimum sentences.

Key excerpts of Kennedy’s column include:

“Louisianians are fighting back against the poisonous scourge of fentanyl.

“Whether it’s the pastors in New Orleans who have started distributing Narcan to their parishioners or the convenience store owner in St. Bernard Parish who offers free fentanyl test strips at his register, Louisianians are doing all they can to save lives. 

“This battle against fentanyl overdoses, however, is not one that a state can win on its own. The Louisiana legislature has done some wonderful work to hold fentanyl dealers accountable, but President Biden’s failed border policies have turned fentanyl enforcement into a game of whack-a-mole.”

. . .

“If the Biden administration wanted to fix this problem, they would secure the border, hold cartels responsible, and ensure that fentanyl dealers face serious consequences for their crimes.

“It’s not astrophysics. Yet the Biden administration continues to follow the advice of open-border extremists rather than taking those simple steps to save American lives.” 

. . .

“My Democratic colleagues also blocked the Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act, my bill[,] which would decrease the amount of fentanyl a person can carry before they face a five or 10-year mandatory minimum prison sentence. Today, these fentanyl dealers face shorter sentences than individuals who deal much less deadly drugs. That’s a problem.”

. . .

“Louisianians will not stop fighting to get fentanyl out of our communities. This fight would be a lot easier, however, if President Biden started to take this problem seriously. It’s not too late for the Biden administration to abandon its disastrous policies and join us in saving American lives.” 

Read Kennedy’s full column here.

Text of the Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act is available here.