Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act would hold social media platforms accountable for illegal drug transactions on their platforms

On Tuesday at 10 a.m., U.S. Representative Angie Craig and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar introduced legislation to prevent drug trafficking on social media platforms.

Both were joined by Bridgette Norring at a press conference, whose son Devin died from fentanyl poisoning after he purchased a counterfeit pill he thought was Percocet on Snapchat.

Klobuchar started the press conference by talking about the danger fentanyl has on individuals, stating that 92% of opioid deaths were caused by fentanyl. She also talked about the drug’s alarming quantity, stating a recent drug bust had uncovered 30,000 grams of fentanyl when authorities busted a drug ring in the Twin Cities.

“That’s enough pills in one bust to kill everyone in Minnesota two times over,” Klobuchar said. “That’s the danger we are talking about with this drug.”

Klobuchar said social media has increased the risk of illegal drug use in children, with a number of cases starting with social media, be it arranged on platforms or being advertised.

In an effort to combat drug sales online, U.S. Representative Craig is spearheading new legislation called the Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act. If approved, the act would require social media to report the unlawful sale or distribution of fentanyl, methamphetamine, or other counterfeit controlled substances.

“Synthetic opioids are a national crisis and we are not talking about it enough. and we are not doing enough about it as a nation,” Craig said. “We must prosecute the distributors that are praying upon our young children.”

Craig also advocated for more technology to be used at the border to detect the presence of fentanyl, that harm reduction tools like NARCAN be more readily available and continue expanding the “good work” being done, like expanding education on the dangers of drugs.

Bridgette Norring, the mother of Devin Norring, took to the podium to share her son’s story. Bridgette said Devin was suffering from migraines and dental pain during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an effort to relieve his pain after his doctor appointments were canceled, he turned to Snapchat, according to Bridgette, purchasing a pill he thought was Percocet but was laced with a deadly amount of fentanyl.

“It was after his death we found out SnapChat was where he went,” Bridgette said. “We know now that social media platforms are the primary place for kids to purchase all kinds of drugs, and while most of them are not sold as illicit fentanyl many of them contain it.”

Bridgette expressed the shock and sadness she and her family felt at her son’s passing, as well as anger and frustration, as “nothing has changed” since Devin’s death. Bridgette hopes that this new act, which features her son’s name, will be approved and hold social media companies responsible for what takes place on their platform.

“We should all be angry with these companies when they are knowingly subjecting our children to harm because it makes them money, and big tech is also spending a lot of money behind the scenes trying to avoid regulation,” Bridgette said. “The time for talking has passed, it’s time for action.”

You can watch the original press conference in the video above or by clicking here.