ICYMI: Armstrong Op-Ed: All Hands Approach to Stopping the Opioid Epidemic

Statement

The opioid epidemic continues to ravage communities across the country. Addiction does not discriminate, affecting Americans of all ages and backgrounds. We must stem this epidemic and the flow of fentanyl that are ravaging families and communities across the country. That effort requires increased resources and tools for both health care providers and law enforcement.

Alarmingly, from April 2020 to April 2021, for the first-time in the United States, overdoses took the lives of more than 100,000 people in a one-year period. This is an increase of 28.5% from the previous year. At the same time, overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids such as fentanyl increased by 56%. North Dakota suffered a 49% increase in drug-related deaths in 2020, an increase largely attributable to fentanyl overdoses.

The first step to take is to secure the southern border and ports-of-entry. In Fiscal Year 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized 11,201 pounds of illegal fentanyl, enough to kill more than 2.5 billion people. That represents a 42% increase from Fiscal Year 2020. Unfortunately, CBP likely can't catch everything, causing illegal drugs to devastate our communities and burden health care facilities.

Second, fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances (FRS), also known as fentanyl analogues, must be placed permanently into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. Currently, fentanyl and FRS are temporarily Schedule I, but that expires Feb. 18, 2022, which is just a week away. If this order ends without action, it will be more difficult for law enforcement to combat the flow of these drugs.

I am a cosponsor of the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act (HALT), which will permanently schedule fentanyl and FRS, simplify registration processes for certain research with Schedule I substances and provide for exemption of individual FRS from Schedule I when evidence demonstrates it is appropriate for medical use. This legislation will help in the fight against opioid overdoses and allow researchers the flexibility needed to study these substances.

Finally, our state, local and tribal governments and local healthcare professionals are the frontline in providing services and treatment needed to help fight addiction. I am a lead cosponsor on the State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act of 2021, which passed the House last year. This legislation authorizes $10.5 billion over six years in flexible funding for State Opioid Response and Tribal Opioid Response grants to fight the opioid epidemic. This authorization will give states and tribes certainty and stability to implement prevention, treatment, and recovery plans.

The fight against the opioid epidemic should not be a political one. I will continue working with leaders on both sides of the aisle to find solutions that help save lives.

Rep. Kelly Armstrong represents North Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Source