Minnesota mom who lost son to fentanyl poisoning visits White House to see HALT Act become law
A Minnesota mom who testified for tougher fentanyl penalties was invited to the White House to see the bill become law.
Bridgette Norring was in the room when President Trump signed the HALT Fentanyl Act on Wednesday. She told WCCO that losing her son to fentanyl poisoning drives her to try to save lives.
"This is Devin's memorial bench. We had this put in after his funeral in 2020," Norring said.
The bench and memorial tree are where paths intersect in Hastings, near the Vermillion River, where Devin Norring spent time with friends.
"This is just our place where we can go sit, be in nature and feel connected to him," Norring said.
The 19-year-old bought what he thought was a Percocet off Snapchat. It contained fentanyl. The grief Norring feels from losing her son to a fentanyl poisoning motivates her to prevent another parent from feeling that pain. And so, she continues to lend her voice to fentanyl-related legislation, including testifying before Congress.
"We shared our life story, our lived experience, we explained why this bill was so important," Norring said.
And now the HALT Fentanyl Act is law. It classifies all fentanyl-related substances as dangerous drugs.
"All they have to do is just tweak it a little bit, and it creates a whole new drug. And so, with this law, that loophole is now closed," Norring said.
She says being at the White House to see it cross the finish line with a room full of people committed to combating the fentanyl crisis was meaningful.
"Seeing this moment in history, knowing that we worked really hard with other families, and finally seeing this come to come to light was just so amazing," Norring said.
Also this week, a federal bill in her son's name was reintroduced. It's aimed at stopping the sale of fentanyl and other illicit drugs on social media. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Rep. Angie Craig backed a similar bill last year.
