Country Singer Jelly Roll Testifies On Capitol Hill About Fentanyl Crisis ‘Crippling Our Nation’
Jelly Roll has come a good distance since dealing medicine, however isn’t staying quiet about them.
The Grammy-nominated singer appeared Thursday earlier than the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs to lift the alarm about America’s fentanyl disaster — and to open up about his personal previous.
“I was part of the problem,” he mentioned. “I am here now standing as a man that wants to be part of the solution.”
Jelly Roll, whose actual identify is Jason DeFord, has emerged as a brand new expertise in nation music in recent times. Before receiving two Grammy nods, nevertheless, he was charged with aggravated theft as a teen and ended up in jail. At 23, he landed behind bars once more for dealing medicine.
“It’s important for me to tell y’all that I’m not here to defend the use of illegal drugs,” Jelly Roll mentioned on the Senate listening to. “And I also understand the paradox of my history as a drug dealer, standing in front of this committee. But I also think that’s what makes me perfect to talk about this.”
Jelly Roll opened his testimony by saying that the “dire crisis crippling our nation” has “likely claimed the life of a friend, child or relative of nearly everyone” within the room. Like the White House did in December, he known as the matter a “national emergency.”
“Americans are dying every day, and at a staggering rate,” Jelly Roll mentioned.
The statistics bear that out. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention famous that the quantity of people that died from drug overdoses in 2021 was greater than six instances greater than in 1999. In 2021, greater than 75% of the 107,000 overdose deaths concerned an opioid, the CDC mentioned.
On Capitol Hill, Jelly Roll mentioned that Americans “witnessed an even further increase in fentanyl-related fatalities” in 2022. He added that the Drug Enforcement Administration “confiscated over 379 million doses of fentanyl that year.”
These doses, he mentioned, have been greater than sufficient “to end every American life.”
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), the committee chair, believes the answer is his Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence Off Fentanyl Act, or FEND Off Fentanyl Act — which might sanction drug traffickers to impede the move of opioids from Mexico and China.
Jelly Roll’s rise to fame, in the meantime, has been a redemption story for addicts and sellers within the U.S. The “Need a Favor” singer was reportedly arrested greater than 40 instances on varied drug prices in his life, however now says that he tries “to stay away from drugs.”
“Fentanyl transcends partisanship and ideology,” he mentioned Thursday. “I could sit here and cry for days about the caskets I’ve carried of people I’ve loved dearly, deeply, in my soul. Good people. … At every concert I perform, I witness the heartbreaking impact of fentanyl.”
He added: “Fans, grappling with this tragedy in their families, seek solace in music and hope that … their elected representatives value their lives and those of their lost loved ones above political agenda. My appeal to this committee … is to offer this hope.”
Need assist with substance use dysfunction or psychological well being points? In the U.S., name 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline.
