U.S. Sen. Doug Jones is introducing a new law intended to combat the trade of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl by targeting foreign countries that don’t stop the export of the drug into the United States.
Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania, is introducing the legislation with Jones.
The bipartisan Blocking Deadly Fentanyl Imports Act would block American foreign aid for countries that don’t cooperate with U.S. drug enforcement efforts related to stopping the trafficking of fentanyl.
If the law passes, a fentanyl-producing nation — China for example — would lose access to the Export-Import Bank and be ineligible for other U.S. taxpayer-subsidized aid if it fails to cooperate with the U.S. on narcotics control, Jones’ office said.
“Like many places across the country, Alabama is in the midst of a substance abuse and overdose crisis, in part because of dangerous synthetic drugs like fentanyl.” Jones said. “Fentanyl not only harms those who use it, but it also poses a serious threat to our first responders should they be exposed. This legislation is another smart step to stop illicit fentanyl from being transported across our borders and into our communities.”
China is the leading source country of illicit fentanyl and fentanyl-related compounds in the United States, including both scheduled and non-scheduled substances, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection seizure data.
Fentanyl, Carfentanil and their “designer” alternates are so deadly that 2 milligrams in contact with the skin or ingested is deadly. A pack of table sweetener usually measures about 1000 milligrams, for comparison.
Without an immediate antidote, like noxolone, a person will die.
Fentanyl is usually used by medical providers for pain relief, and even then, it is rarely used because it is the most powerful opioid available. The street forms of the drug are especially dangerous because they can purposely or accidentally be inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
“The opioid and heroin epidemic has become increasingly lethal in part due to the widespread presence of illicit fentanyl,” Toomey said. “Since fentanyl can be fifty times as potent as heroin, just a tiny amount of this dangerous substance can kill a person, including first responders who may be inadvertently exposed to the drug when responding to an overdose victim or a crime scene. For the sake of our communities and the safety of law enforcement, countries like China must stop illicitly exporting fentanyl and improve their drug enforcement efforts now.”
This law would require the State Department to list in its annual report on narcotics trafficking countries that are major producers of fentanyl. This requirement is already in place for countries that are major sources of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.
According to provisional counts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29,418 Americans died from overdoses involving fentanyl in 2017, an increase of 840 percent in just five years.
