Legislation authored by freshman Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick could extend coverage for drug treatment and prevent fentanyl from crossing borders, according to President Donald Trump’s interim report from the Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis.
“Our nation’s drug epidemic is a complicated issue and our response must be multi-faceted; that means disrupting the flow of drugs while also increasing the accessibility and affordability for prevention, education, treatment, and recovery of this disease.” said Fitzpatrick. “I’m grateful for the Commission’s preliminary report and look forward to working with them to combat this national crisis.”
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According to the commission, preliminary proposals include rapidly increasing treatment capacity, granting waiver approvals for all 50 states to quickly eliminate barriers to treatment, prioritizing funding and manpower to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Customs and Border Protection, the DOJ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the DEA, and supporting federal legislation to staunch the flow of deadly synthetic opioids through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).
Drug Overdose Deaths In PA Increase 14-Fold In Last 35 Years
In March, Fitzpatrick co-sponsored the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act, which would require vital security data on all packages shipped through the mail from abroad. At the end of March, the president established the Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis commission. The commission, which is chaired by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, is studying ways to combat and treat the epidemic which was responsible for more than 50,000 deaths in 2015 alone.
In April, Fitzpatrick, along with Massachusetts Congresswoman Niki Tsongas , introduced the INTERDICT Act which would provide U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) the latest in chemical screening devices and scientific support to detect and intercept fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
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“The best way to prevent drug addiction and overdose is to prevent people from abusing drugs in the first place. If they don’t start, they won’t have a problem. If they do start, it’s awfully tough to get off,” Trump said earlier this week when speaking about opioid addiction.
