Following CDC Report Showing Record Opioid Overdose Deaths, Rep. Faso Calls on Senate to Pass STOP Act

Press Release

Congressman John Faso (R-Kinderhook) today called on the United States Senate to pass H.R. 6, which includes two pieces of legislation that Rep. Faso has been a leading advocate for -- the STOP Act and the Medicare Opioid Safety Education Act. The STOP Act passed the House of Representatives in June. Rep. Faso was the primary sponsor of the original legislation, which was then negotiated into a compromise by members of both parties and both chambers of Congress.

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control showed that drug overdoses killed more than 72,300 Americans last year, a surge of roughly 10% from the previous year.

From the New York Times: "The death toll reflects two major factors: A growing number of Americans are using opioids, and those drugs are becoming more deadly. Experts who are closely monitoring the epidemic say the second factor most likely explains the bulk of the increased number of overdoses last year.

"According to the C.D.C. estimates, overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids rose sharply, while deaths from heroin, prescription opioid pills and methadone fell.

"The picture is not equally bleak everywhere. In parts of New England, where fentanyl arrived early and became widespread, the number of overdoses has begun to fall. That was the case in Massachusetts, Vermont and Rhode Island; each state has had major public health campaigns and increased addiction treatment. Preliminary 2018 numbers from Massachusetts suggest that the death rate there may be continuing to fall."

Synthetic drugs like fentanyl have been at the root of a rise in overdose deaths. These synthetic drugs commonly enter our communities via shipments through the international mail. The STOP Act would crack down on synthetic drug shipments by requiring advanced tracking data for all USPS packages that enter the country from overseas. This would allow border officials to target problematic packages and remove them from circulation.

"Our communities are being devastated by synthetic drugs like fentanyl and carfentanil that are hundreds of times more potent than heroin and are fueling the opioid crisis," said Rep. Faso. "A large portion of these dangerous synthetic drugs come into the country through our postal system and this must stop. The STOP Act is part of the solution and will help crack down on illegal shipments by giving more tools to our customs and border control officers. It is time for the Senate to pass this widely bipartisan opioids package that includes the STOP Act."

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