Friday, December 22, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bill aimed at stopping shipments of fentanyl, a powerful opioid synthetic that is driving overdose deaths in the U.S., will head to President Donald Trump’s desk after unanimous approval by the U.S. Senate, bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown announced today.
The INTERDICT Act will provide U.S. Customs and Border Protection with new screening equipment and lab resources to detect fentanyl before it enters the U.S., according to a news release from Brown, a Cleveland Democrat.
“Ohioans are dying from overdoses at the second highest rate in the country. Families are being torn apart. Children are losing parents. Parents are losing sons and daughters. And we know fentanyl is one of the main culprits,” Brown said. “I urge President Trump to sign our bipartisan bill into law immediately, so we can give law enforcement the tools they need to keep this drug out of Ohio and off our streets.”