On the recordApril 25, 2017
As communities across my district and across the Nation continue to deal with the crisis of opioid abuse and addiction, it is hard to imagine that a synthetic drug exists that is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Fentanyl is a manufactured opioid, which, especially in its illicit versions, has contributed to tens of thousands of deaths. Especially concerning is the fact that this synthetic poison can be ordered online and delivered via medical or express consignment couriers from places like China, and because of its high potency in small amounts, Fentanyl is extremely difficult for law enforcement officials and authorities to detect. That is why I have joined Congresswoman Niki Tsongas in introducing the INTERDICT Act which will provide U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents access to the latest chemical screening devices and scientific support to both detect and intercept synthetic opioids before they can cause our communities more harm and more devastation. So I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation. As both parties, we must come together, and this is one piece of a larger response to the opioid epidemic. Both parties can and must come together to solve this crisis to take on this challenge head on. ____________________
