The Senate included the "FEND Off Fentanyl Act," legislation led by GOP presidential candidate Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), in its version of the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In a tweet on July 21, Scott announced the news and said this bill is the answer to the ongoing fentanyl crisis.
“My solution to the deadly fentanyl trade: the FEND Off Fentanyl Act," Sen. Scott wrote on Twitter. "Let’s get this passed.”
Washington Office on Latin America reported U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Border Patrol seized approximately 89% of searches at ports of entry and 4% of searches at checkpoints showed fentanyl.
According to a press release by Scott, a Republican senator from South Carolina and the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, said that his groundbreaking bill, the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, has been incorporated into the Senate's version of the Fiscal Year 2024 NDAA. This significant advancement marks a crucial milestone in its journey toward potential enactment.
The National Institute of Health (NIH)'s National Institute on Drug Abuse explained fentanyl is a synthetic opioid similar to morphine used in medicine to manage chronic pains and can be made illegally.
According to the U.S. Congress website, the latest action on the bill was on July 22, when it was placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders.
"A person can overdose on fentanyl," NIH wrote. "An overdose occurs when a drug produces serious adverse effects and life-threatening symptoms. When people overdose on fentanyl, their breathing can slow or stop."
According to the press release, The FEND Off Fentanyl Act is a comprehensive legislation designed to tackle the country's fentanyl crisis by focusing on opioid traffickers who are wreaking havoc in American communities. This bill aims to bolster existing laws, enabling U.S. government agencies to more effectively disrupt illicit opioid supply chains and impose penalties on those involved in fentanyl trafficking. Moreover, it ensures that not only the illicit drug trade but also the money laundering aspects that drive its profitability are subject to sanctions. Numerous national organizations have rallied behind this bill, showing their support for its enactment. These organizations include Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse (MAPDA), the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Sheriffs' Association, and FDD Action.
NIH warned that illegally-made fentanyl can have a mix of other drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
“Mexican traffickers and Chinese drug suppliers are fueling America’s fentanyl crisis," Scott said in a press release. "My FEND Off Fentanyl Act targets the financial assets of these criminal groups, cutting off their income right at the source. By including this bill in the NDAA, we’re one step closer to ensuring our country can defend our communities from this deadly drug and protecting our national security.”
NIH noted symptoms of fentanyl addiction are trouble sleeping, diarrhea and vomiting, and muscle and bone pain.
According to the press release, the U.S. is confronting an unprecedented drug crisis. In 2021, a staggering 107,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdoses, with fentanyl being responsible for 65% of these fatalities. The severity of the issue is evident from the Drug Enforcement Administration's seizure of over 379 million deadly fentanyl doses in the past year alone — enough to potentially cause lethal harm to every American. The alarming rise in fentanyl-related deaths strongly indicates a massive influx of drugs from chemical suppliers in the People's Republic of China and drug cartels operating in Mexico.
To learn more about fentanyl, visit the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health's Fentanyl webpage.
According to Fox News, the FOX Business poll released on Sunday showed that Sen. Scott holds the third position in the GOP presidential nomination race. While still significantly trailing behind former President Donald Trump, the front-runner in the Republican nomination race, Scott is only five points behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who currently holds the second place. In the state of Iowa, Scott has garnered 11% support according to a recent survey, which is crucial as Iowa is the starting point for the GOP presidential nominating process.
