U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers this week to release the final report of the U.S. Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, a roadmap to tackle the opioid epidemic in America.
“The scourge of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids is tearing apart communities throughout Michigan and across the country,” Rep. Upton said. “In my district, I have met with grieving parents whose grief is unbearable for them.”
Rep. Upton was selected as one of four members of Congress to serve on the bipartisan commission, which also included representatives of executive branch agencies and private sector experts. The commission was led by co-chairs U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-MD), Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR).
Established under the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2020, the commission was charged with developing a consensus on a strategic approach to fight the illegal flow of synthetic opioids into the United States.
Since 1999, more than one million Americans have died from drug overdoses, and with the increase in overdose deaths in subsequent years, the lawmakers estimated that fatal overdoses are now at least a $1 trillion annual cost and a threat to U.S. national security and global competitiveness.
“We must redouble our efforts to secure the border against illegal trafficking by targeting Mexican cartels flooding our streets with illicit opioids and force China’s hand to crack down on their pharmaceutical industry supplying cartels with the base compounds used to manufacture synthetic opioids,” Rep. Upton said.
The report outlined proposals to implement nationwide to fight opioid trafficking, according to a summary of the report, including establishing strategies to reduce demand by increasing access to treatment; developing a central body to coordinate planning on all U.S. drug policies; strengthening enforcement; and collaborating with other countries involved in the distribution of synthetic opioids.
“I was proud to be a part of this Commission and hope to take what’s in this report and put it into action,” Rep. Upton said.