The House approved legislation with provisions authored by U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) on Wednesday to help combat the recent surge of synthetic drug use.
The Dangerous Synthetic Drug Control Act, H.R. 3537, which would ban 22 synthetic chemicals used to make drugs and three variants of fentanyl, includes text of legislation introduced by Katko earlier this month.
“It is far past time that we take action to stop the flow of dangerous synthetic substances on our streets,” Katko said. “Syracuse has been devastated by this epidemic, and increased synthetics use has placed a major strain on our local law enforcement and first responders. I’m proud to work alongside our local advocates, law enforcement and healthcare providers in this fight — and this bipartisan effort is a step forward in combating the scourge of synthetic drugs.”
Katko has worked on synthetic drug law reforms with such local advocates as Teresa Woolson, a mother who lost her son to synthetic drugs, and Oswego County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick.
“This legislation will help with the synthetic drug crisis,” Woolson said. “I am so thankful to Congressman Katko for his hard work and determination to continue to bring bipartisan legislation on this matter to the House. I’m optimistic that with people like John Katko in Congress we will stop the growing trend of deadly synthetic drugs and help save more lives.”
Fitzpatrick said that synthetic drugs have caused “more death, tragedy and destruction than any public health epidemic in recent memory.”
“Unfortunately, the traffickers of synthetic drugs have been able to stay one step ahead of law enforcement,” Fitzpatrick said. “Fortunately, John Katko’s experience as a federal prosecutor has given him keen insight into these issues. This legislation will make it easier to arrest and prosecute dealers, traffickers and manufacturers of synthetic drugs. It is a desperately needed weapon to help us in our battle to eradicate this poison from our communities.”