This week, an obese country music star with tattoos aptly nicknamed Jelly Roll met with some members of Congress to urge them to pass the bill. Fentanyl Elimination and Drug Deterrence (FEND) under the Fentanyl Act And to share with them a powerful message about the impact drugs have had on his life and the lives of those he loves, including his friends, family, and fans.
On Thursday, 39-year-old Nashville native Jelly Roll, real name Jason Deford, appeared before members of the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee to talk about the dangers of drugs, especially fentanyl. Deford — A self-proclaimed former drug dealer. reportedly He served time in prison for crimes including armed robbery and possession for the purpose of trafficking, and insisted his message was not political.
“My right to vote is limited because of my past. [and] “I've never really paid attention to political competition in my life,” Deford told the committee. “It's ironic, because fentanyl transcends partisanship and ideology. I think I'm the best person to do that.”
Deford went on to claim that approximately 190 people die every day in the United States from overdose, which is enough to fill a 737 plane. “Imagine how much attention the national media would get if we reported that 190 people were killed in plane crashes every day. But with 190 drug addicts, we can't do that. I don’t feel it,” he continued.
Deford also acknowledged that as a former drug dealer, he was once “part of the problem.” “I was an uneducated guy in the kitchen playing chemist with drugs I knew nothing about,'' he claimed.
At the time, he said he believed “with all my heart” that “drug sales are a victimless crime.” “Ladies and gentlemen, I believed that with all my heart,” he added emphatically.
But he eventually changed his mind after seeing how drugs were ravaging his community. “I've attended more funerals than I'd like to share with you,” he explained without self-pity. “…I could sit here and cry for days over the coffin I carried. [and] People I loved dearly, deep in my soul. good person. “
Lost loved ones, fans he meets at concerts who are “struggling” with addiction, and the mother of his daughter battling substance abuse all made Deford determined to be “part of the solution.” , he said.
He told committee members that passing the Fentanyl Elimination Act, which declares fentanyl trafficking a national emergency, is a good “first step,” but it can't stop there.
“I encourage you to take this issue out of this room, to take it to your colleagues, to your constituents, and give them everything you can,” he continued. Doing so, he argued, would show the public that “elected officials actually care about human lives more than ideology.” Finally, he urged people to discuss drug issues at his home, at his “kitchen table”, where it “matters most”.
Deford, but his mother reportedly When he was a chubby young man, he earned the nickname Jelly Roll and won a Country Music Association award. New Artist of the Year Award Just last November, he announced that he had actually been on the music scene as a country and as a nation for more than a decade. wrap artist. Many of his hit songs include “.son of a sinner” and “dead man walking“I mention addiction.
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