Fentanyl overdose resulting in death is become increasingly familiar. Fentanyl is 50-100x more potent than morphine. In 2021, there were 100, 306 deaths due to illegal fentanyl overdose, a 28.5% increase from the year before. Fentanyl comes from Mexico and China and is mixed into other drugs for easy, undisguisable distribution. The majority of people that take fentanyl are unaware they are taking the synthetic opioid. Fentanyl has often been referred to as "the silent killer."  

My 24-year-old daughter, Laken Morgan, lost her life to this on October 24, 2021 in Beckley, West Virginia. West Virginia is the highest state per capita for fentanyl deaths. Laken's Law is to change the cause of death on a death certificate to fentanyl poisoning or toxicity instead of overdose and the manner to homicide instead of accident. This change will have more cases looked into and investigated. This law will bring about more charges and convictions against the ones distributing and selling to our children. 

Another addition is requiring public schools to provide research-based instruction on fentanyl abuse, prevention, and poisoning awareness to west Virginia students grades 6 through 12. Another law will be to allow the distribution of opioid antagonists, including life-saving NARCAN, to West Virginia colleges and universities to prevent opioid poisonings.

With your help, we can save other families from going through this tragedy and having to lose a loved one. We can unite together and put these laws into place, saving lives. Other states have passed these laws, now it is time for West Virginia to do the same.