Biden Is Right: Drug Users Need Rehab Not Jail

Father to father, Rauh Urges Biden to Address Fentanyl Crisis
AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW: FAF Founder and Father Who Lost Son to Fentanyl Poisoning

Akron, OH - On Tuesday night in a televised town hall in Milwaukee, WI, President Biden declared that, “No one should go to jail for the use of a drug, they should go to drug rehabilitation.” In response, Families Against Fentanyl founder Jim Rauh whose son was killed by fentanyl poisoning, released the following statement:

“President Biden is right. Drug users need rehab, not jail. America’s war on drug users got us nowhere. More and more American families are being ripped apart as a result of America’s fentanyl crisis. Chasing after drug users is not going to stop this problem. We need emergency action to save lives,” said Jim Rauh, founder of Families Against Fentanyl.

“From one father to another, I urge you President Biden to launch a federal response that matches the scale of the fentanyl crisis. Too many young Americans, like my son, are being unknowingly poisoned as this chemical is being slipped into counterfeit pills and street drugs all across the U.S. I talk to grieving parents every day,” said Rauh.

“Never before have we faced a drug crisis quite like this, where an illicit drug is being used to unknowingly poison thousands of Americans and that illicit drug is also a chemical weapon, capable of mass destruction. We’re calling for emergency funding for harm reduction programs across the U.S. and for the President to deploy the full resources of the federal government to detect and stop the flow of illicit fentanyl as it would with other chemical weapons,” said Rauh.

Families Against Fentanyl Founder Jim Rauh is a chemical engineer from Akron, Ohio who formed Families Against Fentanyl (FAF) after his son, Tom, died by fentanyl poisoning (which he unknowingly ingested). Families Against Fentanyl has brought together thousands of families with policy makers, researchers, and state and federal leaders. FAF advocates for harm reduction measures and is fighting for illegal fentanyl and its analogs to be named a Weapon of Mass Destruction and launched a petition that has amassed more than 5,000 signatures. The current drug crisis has shown that fentanyl, in the hands of foreign or domestic terrorists, is capable of creating immense destruction in every community across the country. Rauh has been determined to hold the foreign chemical manufacturers responsible and as 60 Minutes documented, he spent years pursuing justice and is currently suing the Zheng family syndicate, who are responsible for thousands of deaths. Rauh has been a strong proponent of harm reduction measures, partnering with pioneering public health groups in the US and Canada to support harm reduction programs and sponsoring fentanyl test strip initiatives.

Media contact:
press@familiesagainstfentanyl.org
703-416-9188