The United States Postal Service (USPS) can play an important role in a whole-of-government approach to raise awareness about combating substance abuse, says U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA).
“USPS is at the forefront of delivering messages of importance to American citizens and can leverage this role to help raise awareness on drug abuse through the semipostal stamp program,” Rep. Smucker wrote in an Oct. 25 letter sent to Post Master General and CEO Louis DeJoy.
As USPS works to finalize the 2024 and 2025 new stamp issues, the congressman encouraged DeJoy to include a new semipostal charity stamp that could be used to raise funds for drug and opioid abuse awareness and help substance recovery efforts.
“The opioid crisis has impacted nearly every aspect of American life and does not discriminate [against] whom it impacts,” wrote Rep. Smucker. “While the U.S. has been working to address opioid, alcohol, and other drug addictions for years, recent surges in fentanyl have only added to the urgency of addressing substance abuse.”
The issuance of a semipostal stamp by USPS, he wrote, would bring greater attention to this growing crisis and raise important funds to support prevention and recovery efforts at numerous federal programs.
In fact, previous semipostal stamps have supported government programs, including the Breast Cancer Research Stamp that raised $96 million for programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Healing PTSD Stamp that raised $2 million for programs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Alzheimer’s Stamp, which raised $1.4 million for research efforts at NIH, according to the lawmaker’s letter.
“A semipostal charity stamp to help raise funds for federal programs to promote drug and opioid abuse awareness and recovery efforts will bring light to some of our citizens who currently are stuck in the darkness of addiction,” Rep. Smucker wrote. “I encourage you to use your authority under the Semipostal Authorization Act to issue one next year during National Red Ribbon Week as a sign of USPS’ commitment to delivering for all Americans.”