One anti-Fentanyl under microscope as a new one is championed | News

The organization informed legislators that in January 2019, it obtained data on just 76 percent of packages shipped from China and 57 percent of data on packages from all foreign posts.

Additionally it informed it received data on 52.8 percent of all international packages and 70.7 percent of packages from China for all of 2018.

In light of that information, both Portman, the bill’s original author, and Sen. Tom Carper he Chairman and Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), sent a letter to United States Postal Service (USPS) and the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

“We know how opioids are getting into this country and we know where the drugs are coming from. Efficient, effective, and secure operations at the major mail facilities that process inbound international mail are critical in stemming the flow of this poison,” the Senators wrote. “The Subcommittee will continue regular oversight on your agencies’ efforts to address the many vulnerabilities highlighted in the OIG reports as well as your agencies’ compliance with the reporting requirements outlined in the STOP Act.”

The senators requested regular briefings on the matter to address “unacceptable vulnerabilities.”

“These briefings should also include the plan to comply with STOP Act’s requirement to refuse any shipments without the required advance electronic data received after Dec. 31, 2020,” they wrote.

The Centers for Disease Control has indicated the “majority” of Fentanyl comes from China and Mexico.

Meanwhile, as an attempt to bolster one anti-Fentanyl effort was made by Portman, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced a new proposal to add to the arsenal.

Brown (D-OH) on Thursday joined a bipartisan group of Senators in introducing the Fentanyl Sanctions Act, which, according to a release from Brown’s office, is the first bill that would apply pressure on the Chinese government “to honor their commitment to make all fentanyl illegal and provide the U.S. with more tools and resources to go after illicit traffickers in China, Mexico, and other countries.”

“On average, 11 Ohioans will die every day in my state due to an opioid overdose,” said Brown. “The addiction epidemic has taken too many lives and caused too much devastation in Ohio. This new bill will add effective new sanctions tools to help combat the flood of illicit fentanyl coming in primarily from China and from Mexico, and help provide intelligence and funding to keep these dangerous drugs out of Ohio communities.”

According to the release, the bill would require imposition of sanctions on drug manufacturers in China who knowingly provide synthetic opioids to traffickers, transnational criminal organizations like those in Mexico who mix fentanyl with other drugs and traffic them into the U.S. and financial institutions that assist such entities.

It would also authorize new funding to law enforcement and intelligence agencies, including the Departments of Treasury, Department of Defense and Department of State, to combat the foreign trafficking of opioids.

In less formal measures, it would “urge the President to commence diplomatic efforts with U.S. partners to establish multilateral sanctions against foreign opioid traffickers and establish a Commission on Synthetic Opioid Trafficking to monitor U.S. efforts and report on how to more effectively combat the flow of synthetic opioids from China, Mexico and elsewhere.

Following a commitment to the U.S. at the G-20 in December 2018, Chinese regulators announced on April 1, 2019, that a wider range of fentanyl derivatives would be declared controlled substances in China on May 1, 2019, drawing praise from legislators.