Sherrod Brown talks about his bill targeting illicit fentanyl supply chains in China and Mexico
Senator Sherrod Brown introduced a new bipartisan bill that would declare the international trafficking of fentanyl as an emergency.
It’s called the Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act.
FEND Off Fentanyl Act
The bill would combat the fentanyl crisis in Ohio by sanctioning the supply chains in China and Mexico and increasing “money laundering penalties on illegal opioid traffickers.”
“We all know the toll the addiction crisis has taken on our state,” Brown said Wednesday during a media to talk about the bill. “I host roundtables across the state; without fail, opioid addiction always comes up. People are worried about more dangerous forms of fentanyl reaching Ohio communities.
“Traffickers even add illicit fentanyl to other drugs to make them cheaper, more powerful, and more addictive. This week, I introduced bipartisan legislation to impose new, more powerful sanctions targeting the illicit fentanyl supply chain, from the chemical suppliers in China to the cartels that traffic the drugs from Mexico.”
Fatalities linked to fentanyl
Brown introduced the legislation with support from the Fraternal Order of Police, as well as Ranking Member Tim Scott (R-SC) and the leaders of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI) and Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS).
Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, cited research that explained how in 2021, nearly 107,000 Americans died from overdoses and 65% of those deaths were related to fentanyl.
In Ohio, 80% of unintentional drug overdose deaths were linked to fentanyl
The DEA and law enforcement partners seized over 87,000 fentanyl-laced pills in Ohio in less than four months last year.
“The fentanyl epidemic has touched every community in America. It is destroying lives, families, and communities. I thank Senators Brown and Scott for their leadership. Their FEND Off Fentanyl Act would declare the international trafficking of fentanyl as a national emergency and provide necessary resources needed to combat this ever-growing crisis,” said Yoes.
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