BEAUMONT, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott was in Beaumont Monday discussing his plans to combat what he calls the “worst drug problems to face Texans in our lifetime.”
The Texas governor met with area and state law enforcement agencies to talk about the “national fentanyl crisis.” The roundtable was held at the Texas Department of Public Safety Beaumont headquarters.
“We need to all realize that fentanyl is killing Texans,” Gov. Abbott said.
In 2021, almost 1,700 Texans lost their lives because of fentanyl, according to Abbott.
Sixty-five people in Jefferson County suffered from an overdose in 2021, Beaumont Police Chief Jimmy Singletary said during the roundtable. Twenty-five of those were in connection to fentanyl.
Officials suspect the number of people who will suffer from a fentanyl overdose could be 150 by 2022.
Gov. Abbott has highlighted the fentanyl crisis a lot. He spoke about the variety of ways he is combatting the crisis, including the executive actions he plans to take.
During the event, Gov. Abbott made several references to Mexican drug cartels. He blamed President Biden's weak policies at the border for allowing cartels to bring fentanyl into the state.
"In the past year, just Texas law enforcement alone, has seized enough fentanyl to kill every man, woman and child, in the entire United States of America," said Abbott.
The governor said he has issued an executive order to label cartels as terrorist organizations and wants to make it so that any person who makes or distributes fentanyl can be charged with murder.
Abbott says he's working to increase the number of "anti-gang centers" so state, and federal law enforcement can collaborate and find solutions.
"We have one in Houston in that regard, we have them proliferated around the state, we have them in McAllen, one in Waco, north Texas. Every agency has information about a particular gang," said Texas DPS Director Stephen McCraw.
Another plan the governor has is to increase the availability of Narcan, a counteractive drug used to save people from a fentanyl overdose. Gov. Abbott said he wants to use state funding to get Narcan to police officers and then distribute it to hospitals and schools.
The governor also pushed his "One Pill Kills" campaign, hoping to increase education about fentanyl.
“One single pill that has fentanyl laced onto it is a deadly dose that can kill anybody who takes it," Abbott said. "And that person may have no idea that the pill they are taking is laced with fentanyl."
Abbott proposes these efforts come from state funding and also federal funding.
"Bottom line is, this is something we have to do, distribute across the state of Texas," Abbott said.
These efforts and roundtable come ahead of the November elections. Gov. Abbott is facing off against Democratic candidate Beto O'Rourke.
On election night all results will be posted at 12NewsNow.com/elections. If you are voting by mail your ballot must be received at your county clerk or elections administrator by November 8, 2022 at 7 p.m.
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Early voting for the 2022 Midterm Election will take place on October 24, 2022. Election day is Tuesday, November 8, 2022.
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