Pointing to rising death rates across the country, at the end of last week, U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., teamed up with an Ohio Democrat in an effort to crack down on fentanyl abuse.
Rooney paired up with U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, on Friday to bring out the “Stop Trafficking in Fentanyl Act.” The proposal alters the Controlled Substances Act to cover fentanyl.
Rooney and Ryan pointed to an assessment from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) which shows “fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin” and 100 time more potent than morphine Normally fentanyl is used as a painkiller
The congressmen’s proposal would lower the current federal penalties on possession of fentanyl from 400 grams to 20 grams. Rooney noted that Florida in general, and Manatee County in particular, has seen a rise in overdoses due to fentanyl.
“My concern is that without action, these overdose figures are only going to get worse,” Rooney said on Friday. “Under the current law, the threshold amount to invoke penalties is not appropriate with the strength of the drug. Individuals who are trafficking and profiting off fentanyl need to be adequately prosecuted in the hopes of stopping the alarming rising rate of fatal overdoses. We need to update our laws to get this incredibly dangerous synthetic drug off of the streets.”
Things are worse in Ohio which led the nation last year with more than 500 overdoses from fentanyl last year, a sharp increase from 2013 when there were only 93.
“Ohio has seen yet another record-breaking year for overdose-related deaths, many due to fentanyl,” Ryan said as the bill was brought out. “ We are losing too many of our friends, neighbors, and relatives to this destructive drug epidemic. I am proud to join Congressman Rooney in introducing this important legislation that will help get these drugs off the street. We must respond to this crisis from all sides by improving coordination to reduce the number of drugs available, while also increasing and expanding access to treatment for those who are suffering.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
