Jelly Roll Reveals Why He Advocates Against The Fentanyl Epidemic

Singer Jelly Roll is opening up about his fears regarding the current fentanyl epidemic and why he is so involved in raising awareness.

The 39-year-old, whose legal name is Jason DeFord, has used his platform to speak out against the fentanyl epidemic. Last month, the singer attended a hearing, titled “Stopping the Flow of Fentanyl: Public Awareness and Legislative Solutions," where he delivered a testimony to lawmakers to pass anti-fentanyl legislation.

Now, the country rocker is revealing more on why this is such an important topic for him.

Coming from someone who has struggled with addiction in the past, Jelly Roll knows just what drugs can do to a person, and he fears that his children will go down that path due to the fentanyl epidemic, which kills over 150 people in the U.S. per day.

“We've seen crack. We've seen cocaine. We've seen opioids. But we've never seen something that is so deadly in such small amounts that's being mixed in so many different things,” he told PEOPLE on the possibility that any substance could be laced with fentanyl, which scares him for his kids.

“My daughter [Bailee Ann] will never experience the safety of experimenting with drugs,” he added. “I know that sounds crazy to say, but when I was a kid, my mother would be like, ‘You're going to try everything once. Just be safe.’”

Per the CDC, Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Recent cases of fentanyl-related overdoses are "linked to illegally made fentanyl, which is distributed through illegal drug markets for its heroin-like effect."

“It's not safe for any kid to be doing anything," Jelly Roll told the outlet, adding, "How many more people does [fentanyl] have to kill a day before we start to care, if the number right now is close to 200? I just think it's time to speak about it."

"It scares me for my daughter. It scares me for my son. It scares me for this next generation. We've never seen nothing like fentanyl," he added.

According to the CDC, over 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which, even in small doses, can be deadly

To slow the ongoing issue with the drug, Jelly Roll says the first step is to talk about the problem at hand. “I think opening conversations about some of this stuff is the beginning of healing, right?” he said, adding, "A lot of problems we have in America is that we just don't openly talk about the s--- that's really happening the way we should. It's kind of like once you break the ice and put them on the table, then can't ignore it much longer after that.”

The rapper has also spoken out about the fentanyl epidemic at his concerts in an attempt to raise awareness, which he has received “unbelievable” positive responses from fans for.