Jelly Roll went to Capitol Hill Thursday (January 11th) to take a powerful stance against the fentanyl epidemic.

The former drug dealer gave Congress examples of how his life’s been personally affected by the opiate epidemic in an effort to encourage them to pass the FEND Off Fentanyl act.

The 39-year-old Grammy Nominee said, “I've attended more funerals than I care to share with you all [on] this committee. 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 and how fast it spirals out of control — I don't think people truly, truly understand.”

The "Son of a Sinner" singer posted a C-Span clip of the hearing to Instagram where he thanked Chairman Senator Brown and Senator Scott for allowing him to "speak on behalf of the broken in todays hearing."  He wrote, "I pray this message is the beginning of a real change and awareness when it comes to Fentanyl and Drug Addiction in America."

 

Check out the speech below: