Pappas, Buchanan Lead Bipartisan Call to Stop Fentanyl Trafficking
Today, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01 and Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-16) led 36 of their colleagues in a bipartisan call for Congressional leadership to prioritize further Congressional action to stop fentanyl trafficking, permanently classify fentanyl analogues as a Schedule I substance, giving law enforcement and public health experts the tools they need to combat the ongoing opioid epidemic.
"The ongoing opioid crisis is ravaging our communities and only getting worse, with annual overdose deaths topping 100,000 for the first time in 2021," wrote the lawmakers. "As you know, opioids like fentanyl have claimed the lives of our family members, friends, and neighbors at alarming rates in our home states and across the country. In many of these unfortunate cases the fentanyl and other illicit substances are trafficked from outside the United States, which is why it is critical that we strengthen international efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking, including increased collaboration and capacity-building measures."
"Additional legislation is needed to keep deadly synthetic drugs off the streets by permanently classifying fentanyl-related substances under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. We must take tougher steps to keep deadly substances like fentanyl out of our neighborhoods and bring those responsible to justice. Permanent scheduling of fentanyl-related substances is essential in our fight to save lives and confront the addiction epidemic, and we urge you to take swift action to ensure passage of legislation," the lawmakers continued.
In May 2021, Pappas and Buchanan introduced the bipartisan Federal Initiative to Guarantee Health by Targeting (FIGHT) Fentanyl Act to help keep deadly synthetic drugs off the streets by placing fentanyl-related substances permanently on the Schedule I list.
The full text of the letter can be found here and below:
Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy,
The ongoing opioid crisis is ravaging our communities and only getting worse, with annual overdose deaths topping 100,000 for the first time in 2021. We appreciate your continued commitment to combating the opioid epidemic, but temporary extensions of the Schedule I classification of fentanyl-related substances to February 18th, 2022 are not enough. We therefore write to urge consideration of legislation to permanently classify fentanyl analogues as a Schedule I substance. It is especially critical in light of the recent news that fentanyl overdoses are now the leading cause of death in American adults ages 18 to 45.
As you know, opioids like fentanyl have claimed the lives of our family members, friends, and neighbors at alarming rates in our home states and across the country. In many of these unfortunate cases the fentanyl and other illicit substances are trafficked from outside the United States, which is why it is critical that we strengthen international efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking, including increased collaboration and capacity-building measures. In November 2021 alone, 1,113 pounds of fentanyl were seized by Customs and Border Protection agents, which is enough to kill over 250 million people.
Additional legislation is needed to keep deadly synthetic drugs off the streets by permanently classifying fentanyl-related substances under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. We must take tougher steps to keep deadly substances like fentanyl out of our neighborhoods and bring those responsible to justice. Permanent scheduling of fentanyl-related substances is essential in our fight to save lives and confront the addiction epidemic, and we urge you to take swift action to ensure passage of legislation.
Thank you for your dedication to the health and well-being of the American people. We look forward to continuing to work with you on this effort.
Sincerely,