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FEND Off Fentanyl Act now one step closer to passing

By Kelcey Norris Mahoning Matters

February 14, 2024 4:00 AM

The U.S. Senate passed an emergency national security spending bill that includes Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown’s FEND OFF Fentanyl Act.

In addition to agreeing to send more financial aid abroad to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, the U.S. Senate’s vote also moved FEND OFF Fentanyl one step closer to potentially becoming law.

Now the $95 billion emergency spending bill goes to the U.S. House for consideration.

What does FEND Off Fentanyl do?

The FEND OFF Fentanyl bill would impose new sanctions and anti-money laundering penalties targeting the illicit fentanyl supply chain, from the chemical suppliers in China to the cartels that transport the drugs in from Mexico.

“Today we took an important step to protect our communities and keep fentanyl out of the country by passing my legislation that sanctions the chemical suppliers in China and the Mexican drug cartels trafficking this deadly drug,” said Brown. “Ohio families need action now to address the fentanyl crisis and the House must move quickly to pass this vital legislation to bolster our national security.”

What happened earlier this week with the FEND OFF Fentanyl Act?

The FEND OFF Fentanyl Act was also included in another bill that failed to pass in the Senate last week, the bipartisan border security bill.

In the border security bill, the national union for border patrol agents supported the FEND OFF Fentanyl.

According to Brown, illicit fentanyl is making its way into Ohio communities from Mexico.

It’s the second instance of Moreno apposing the FEND OFF Fentanyl Act’s passage.

Mahoning Matters has reached out to Moreno for his statement and will update when we hear back.

Backed by police, border patrol and opioid treatment experts

“All law enforcement knows the devastating effects that fentanyl has in our community, so as an administrating agency of the Mahoning Valley Drug Task Force and a contributing member to the local DEA task force we welcome any new legislation that could potentially hamper the manufacturing and distribution of fentanyl in the Mahoning Valley,” said Mahoning Sheriff Jerry Greene.

Several members of law enforcement in Ohio shared their agreement with Brown that there’s a fentanyl crisis in the state, including the Fraternal Order of Police.

According to Patrick Yoes, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, the DEA Administrator “rightly” described fentanyl as “the single deadliest drug threat” in the nation’s history.

“We need to do more as a nation to interdict the flow of this drug and its precursors into our country and severely sanction individuals and organizations involved in making and distributing this poison. Senators Tim Scott and Sherrod Brown have developed a comprehensive approach that codifies an existing Executive Order giving the President broad authority to attack fentanyl trafficking by using all the resources of the United States. We strongly support these efforts and look forward to working with them and with Senators Wicker and Reed to pass this important legislation,” said Yoes.

The American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD), which represents more than 1,300 opioid treatment programs in the country, expressed its strong support for Senators Tim Scott and Brown’s FEND Off Fentanyl Act.

More information about the bill can be found here.