More than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in the United States during a 12-month period ending in April 2021–more than car crashes and gunshot wounds combined–according to data from the CDC. The CDC calculated fentanyl was behind more than half of those deaths.
“It’s truly the epidemic within the pandemic,” Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) said.
Members of Congress are working to address the issue. Sen. Portman and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) both represent states heavily impacted by fentanyl. The two lawmakers reached across the aisle and introduced legislation to keep the deadly synthetic drug out of American communities.
“In February 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a temporary scheduling order to schedule fentanyl-related substances that has allowed federal law enforcement authorities to bring criminal actions against individuals who manufacture, distribute, or handle fentanyl-related substances,” according to a news release from Portman’s office. Their proposal, the Federal Initiative to Guarantee Health by Targeting (FIGHT) Fentanyl Act, would make that temporary order permanent.
