Ayotte Helps Introduce Bill Targeting Fentanyl Shipped from U.S. to China

Press Release

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte today joined Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) to introduce the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act of 2016, which will strengthen postal rules for packages mailed to the United States with the intent of helping to detect synthetic drugs, including fentanyl, which can be up to fifty times more potent than heroin.

"In addition to focusing resources on prevention, treatment, and recovery, a fundamental part of our comprehensive response to the opioid epidemic must include efforts to cut off the supply of dangerous drugs - like fentanyl and carfentanil - coming to our country, often from China," said Senator Ayotte. "Our bill will strengthen postal rules for packages shipped through the United States Postal Service, bringing them in line with requirements applicable to private shippers. These requirements will help law enforcement more quickly gather information when tracking and interdicting an illegal shipment and help us more effectively stop dangerous drugs from reaching traffickers inside our borders."

In addition to the STOP Act, in 2015, Ayotte also introduced the Stop Trafficking in Fentanyl Act, which would equalize the penalties for trafficking fentanyl and heroin, based on fentanyl's high potency. Under current law, a high-level dealer would need 400 grams of fentanyl to trigger the same trafficking penalties as someone distributing 1 kilogram of heroin - even though the Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that fentanyl can be up to 50 times more powerful than heroin. Ayotte also successfully added an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 that authorized $191.5 million to counter the production and trafficking of illicit drugs, including heroin and fentanyl.

Additionally, in August, Ayotte sent a letter to the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission requesting a report on China's role in supplying fentanyl, fentanyl precursor chemicals, and fentanyl production machinery to the United States. This weekend, the administration announced that it would be working with the Chinese government to combat the supply of fentanyl to the United States. Ayotte said she was "encouraged" by this development and will continue to monitor the situation.

Ayotte also co-authored and helped introduce the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, or CARA, which makes important policy changes to assist in fighting the opioid abuse epidemic and authorizes several initiatives focused on prevention, treatment, recovery, and support for first responders. CARA was signed into law in July.

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