Pappas Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Combat Fentanyl Crisis, Crack Down on Drug Trafficking

Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) joined Representatives María Elvira Salazar (FL-27), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chris Smith (NJ-04), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Dina Titus (NV-01), Greg Stanton (AZ-04), Rich McCormick (GA-06), and Brad Schneider (IL-10) in introducing the Destruction Initiative for Stored Precursors Overseas and Safe Enforcement (DISPOSE) Act. This bipartisan legislation will create fentanyl and precursor chemical destruction facilities in three critical drug trafficking choke points: Mexico, Colombia, and Peru. Senators Chuck Grassley (IA), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), and Jim Risch (ID) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

Fentanyl and other synthetic drugs have taken the lives of tens of thousands of Americans. This legislation deals with the problem by developing a strategy to locate, identify, and safely destroy fentanyl precursor chemicals before they reach the United States.

“Fentanyl overdoses continue to kill Americans in record numbers, and it is of the utmost importance that we are taking common sense steps to stop the flow of deadly substances over our borders and into our communities, crack down on traffickers, and save lives,” said Rep. Pappas. “I join this bipartisan group of my colleagues in introducing the DISPOSE Act which will increase the United States’ collaboration with Mexico, Colombia, and Peru to establish centers that identify and destroy fentanyl and precursor drugs before they reach American soil. I strongly urge House leadership to swiftly bring this bipartisan bill to the floor for a vote.”

“I’m proud to join Senator Grassley in introducing this bill that would facilitate United States engagement with our partners abroad to destroy seized drugs and prevent them from making it to our borders,” said Senator Shaheen. “This legislation would work to ensure that these dangerous drugs are not diverted back into the illicit drug supply chain and are destroyed in environmentally responsible ways.” 

“Fentanyl is killing thousands of Americans, and we can no longer afford to sit still as our enemies flood our communities with these dangerous drugs,” said Rep. Salazar. “The DISPOSE Act will combat the crisis by working with our partners in Latin America to destroy these drugs well before they cross our borders.”

The DISPOSE Act establishes the Precursor Chemical Destruction Initiative to fight drug trafficking with our partners in the Western Hemisphere. Working directly with partner countries, the Initiative will:

• Increase rates of seizure and destruction of listed chemicals in beneficiary countries;
• Alleviate the backlog of seized chemicals and dispose them in an environmentally safe and effective manner;
• Ensure that the seized chemicals are not reintroduced into the illicit drug production network within beneficiary countries;
• Free up storage space for future chemical seizures within beneficiary countries; and
• Reduce the chemicals’ negative environmental impact.

To read the text of the bill, click here.