Country music superstar Jelly Roll, in an appearance before a Senate committee, shared his own personal story related to the fentanyl crisis that has been ravaging the United States for years now. The super successful singer, whose birth name is Jason DeFord and who was nominated for a Grammy, talked openly about the drug problems he has dealt with in the past and how they ultimately led to him being convicted of crimes on several occasions and resulted in prison sentences.
During the testimony, Jelly Roll stated that due to having these experiences, he's become a passionate advocate for victims of drug traffickers. DeFord gave his testimony on Jan. 11 before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, where he made mention of statistics that show there's a 72 percent chance that an individual who passes away as a result of a drug overdose was using fentanyl, which reveals just how popular and widespread the usage of this substance has become.
“It is important to establish earlier that I am a musician and that I have no political alliance. I am neither Democrat nor Republican. In fact, because of my past, my right to vote has been restricted,” the “Save Me” singer went on to explain to the committee.
“Thus far I have never paid attention to a political race in my life. Ironically, I think that makes me the perfect person to speak about this because fentanyl transcends partisanship and ideology,” he added.
According to Breitbart News:
Jelly Roll went on to say that about 190 dies from fentanyl abuse every day. That is the equivalent of a “737 plane” at full capacity., he noted.
“Could you imagine the national media attention it would get if they were reporting that a plane was crashing every single day and killing 190 people? But because it’s 190 drug addicts, we don’t feel that way, because America has been known to bully and shame drug addicts instead of dealing and trying to understand what the actual root of the problem is,” Jelly Roll told the senators before him.
He says he has frequent contact with victims of “the disease known as addiction.”
“I’ve attended more funerals than I care to share with y’all, this committee,” the hit singer shared during his testimony. “I could sit here and cry for days about the caskets I’ve carried of people I loved dearly, deeply in my soul. Good people. Not just drug addicts. Uncles, friends, cousins, normal people — some people that just got in a car wreck and started taking a pain pill to manage it. One thing led to the other … how fast it spirals out of control.”
There are a lot of reasons people start to abuse illegal substances, chief among them a feeling of hopelessness and purposelessness. Not feeling like what you do, who you are, matters in the grand scheme of things can drive you to the brink of despair. Sometimes these feelings of insecurity stem from a major rejection suffered during some part of life. It might be from an abusive or absentee parent, a spouse who cheated, a divorce, or, worse yet, the loss of a child.
Regardless, someone who is in the depths of this kind of misery only has one real, lasting bit of hope: God. Unfortunately, many of those locked in this place of sadness do not believe or don't know anyone who is a faithful Christian -- or worse, they are already in the throes of addiction, so they have no idea where to turn.
This is why it is critical for churches, whether in the rural areas or in the mix of the big city, to consider putting together programs for those who have addiction problems, focusing on ministering to folks at the root of their hurt and pain.
Later during his testimony, DeFord shared his experiences as a drug dealer, going on to say that he's made significant changes in his life. He told the committee he's no longer part of the problem and wants, instead, to be part of the solution.
DeFord revealed that his wife has also had problems with addiction, saying, “Every day I get to look in the eyes of a victim in my household of the effects of drugs. Every single day. And every single day, I have to wonder, me and my wife, if today will be the day that I have to tell my daughter that her mother became a part of the national statistic."
The main reason DeFord provided testimony for the committee was so he could request the Senate to vote in favor of the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which is a bipartisan piece of legislation that specifically targets Chinese drug suppliers along with cartels located across the southern border in Mexico.
“I see fans grappling with this tragedy,” his testimony ended. “They seek solace and music and hope that their experiences won’t befall others. They crave reassurance. These are the people I’m here to speak for, y’all. These people crave reassurance that their elected officials actually care more about human life than they do about ideology and partisanship. I stand here as a regular member of society.”
Related: Biden Looking at Huge Concession to GOP on Border Policy
If more and more people like Jelly Roll take a stand against the fentanyl crisis and demand that President Joe Biden do his duty to secure the southern border and erect a wall to keep illegal migrants from getting into the country, there would be a drastic decrease in the amount of fentanyl that is brought into the U.S. and, by extension, far fewer overdose related deaths.
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