Jelly Roll To Congress On Fentanyl: ‘I Was Part Of The Problem’
Jelly Roll testified before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee on “Stopping the Flow of Fentanyl: Public Awareness and Legislative Solutions.”
As he read a five-minute prepared statement, Jason DeFord-AKA “Jelly Roll” said he was “nervous” because he was usually “backed by a rock and roll band when he had a microphone in front [of himself].” He began an impassioned speech by saying that someone would die of a drug overdose and that fentanyl was 72 percent likely to be the cause.
“Fentanyl transcends partisanship and ideology,” Jelly Roll said. “I am not here to defend the use of illegal drugs,” continued the performer, who noted the “unique paradox of his history as a drug dealer” who was “part of the problem” and now aims “to be a part of the solution.”
The country hitmaker also shared that his daughter’s mother is a drug addict, and he doesn’t want to have to tell his daughter that her mother became a statistic. Jelly Roll advised policymakers to “understand drug addictions [root causes] was a better step forward than ‘bullying drug addicts.’”
Jelly Roll pledged to assist in limiting the supply of fentanyl and encouraged committee members to discuss narcotics and addiction with their colleagues and constituents.
Susan Saunders 1/12/23
