Texas Governor Abbott Witnessed a Fentanyl Game Changer in Houston

Governor Abbott at the University of Houston on the fentanyl vaccinePhoto byTwitter

A Houston University declared it may have created a “Game changer” for the drug industry. They may have created a fentanyl vaccine that Texas Governor Greg Abbott visited on Thursday, December 1, 2022. Governor Abbott visited the University of Houston to meet with university leaders and gave the governor ideas for the next legislative session.

Though the medical staff has the vaccine, it may still be about three years before it reaches the public market according to KHOU 11.

It was only two months ago, that Governor Abbott made a public stance on fentanyl as he declared the One Pill Kill Campaign before he was re-elected for the third time in office.

Abbott received a tour of the fentanyl lab at the University of Houston. He held a press conference with other members involved in the research including University of Houston President Renu Khator, University of Houston System Board of Regents Chairman Tilman Fertitta, and University of Houston Associate Professor Dr. Colin Haile.

Governor Abbott said:

'Fentanyl remains the single deadliest drug threat our state and nation has ever encountered, and Texas continues leading the fight against this clandestine killer. 'I am proud to be at the University of Houston today to celebrate the brilliant achievement of Dr. Colin Haile and his research team on creating a fentanyl vaccine. This incredible, groundbreaking new therapy has the potential to revolutionize how we combat fentanyl deaths in our communities and end the afflictions of addiction that burden so many innocent Texans and Americans across the country. I look forward to working alongside the University of Houston and Dr. Haile in Texas' continued efforts to save innocent lives from being lost to this deadly drug.'

Abbott added:

“Quite literally, fentanyl is killing Texans."

The Texas Health and Human Services reported 1,672 Texans died from fentanyl in 2021. This was an increase of 89% from 2020 when 883 Texans died from the drug.

According to the Texas Tribune, last year in the United States last year 107,000 people died from a drug overdose of fentanyl.

Do you think fentanyl is an issue in your neighborhood?