U.S. Senator Jon Husted addressed the ongoing fentanyl crisis on April 30, marking National Fentanyl Awareness Day as lawmakers consider measures to disrupt trafficking and reduce overdose deaths among young Americans. Husted made the statement in an April 30 post on X.
“Fentanyl overdose remains the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 45. I supported the HALT Fentanyl Act, now law, to help stop the flow of fentanyl into America and hold the criminals who bring it into our neighborhoods accountable. I’m leading the No Fentanyl on Social Media Act to protect kids online from predators who use social media to traffic fentanyl,” Husted said in the post.
Fentanyl and its analogs are involved in a large share of overdose deaths nationwide. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid much more potent than morphine and heroin, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Illicit fentanyl or its analogs were involved in 78% of unintentional overdose deaths in available Ohio state data. The Ohio Department of Health tracks drug overdose deaths and related trends across the state, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
Husted began serving as Ohio’s junior U.S. senator in January 2025 after more than two decades in state government. He previously served as lieutenant governor, secretary of state and Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, according to his official biography.
