Stansbury Proposes New Tool to Combat Fentanyl Trade – The Tri-City Record

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., recently co-sponsored legislation aimed at curbing the distribution of fentanyl in the U.S. by shutting down illegal pill presses. Gino Gutierrez/Source NM file

Rep. says more than 70,000 people in US died directly from fentanyl in 2023

US Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury co-sponsored legislation that would curb the distribution of fentanyl in the US by shutting down illegal pill presses.

On September 23, members of the House introduced the Stop the Opioid Pill Presser and Fentanyl Act (also known as the STOPP Fentanyl Act).

Stansbury held a press conference in Washington, DC to discuss the legislation.

“Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin, and in 2023, over 70,000 people in this country will die from it directly, but that doesn’t even take into account the thousands of people who died from drug-related accidents, homicides and other activities related to this epidemic,” said Stansbury, a Democrat who represents New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District. “That means there were 70,000 funerals in America last year because the drug cartels and drug dealers who are smuggling these products into our communities were not stopped.”

Stansbury recounted how she received a call in 2019 that someone she knew had died of a fentanyl overdose.

“Unfortunately it wasn’t the last time,” she said.

The Drug Enforcement Administration published the 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment in May of this year.

The report is the DEA’s assessment of the illegal drug threats and drug trafficking trends facing the United States.

“Chemical suppliers from China are the primary source of the chemicals used in the production of illicit fentanyl. The Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels produce fentanyl in secret laboratories they control in Mexico, both in powder form and pressed into counterfeit pills, and smuggle it into the United States through one of the many entry points they control,” the report said.

The goal of the STOPP Fentanyl Act is to disrupt these global networks and “supply chains and protect Americans and the people in our communities who are dying from this epidemic,” Stansbury said.

“It’s critical that we use this tool, just as we’re dealing with the public health crisis back home in New Mexico,” she said. “This gives our law enforcement an additional tool to go after the cartels, to go after the drug dealers to get fentanyl off the streets, and we’ll be working with our public health officials every day to make sure we’re saving lives and helping people on their path to recovery.”

Stansbury last week filed an amendment to legislation reauthorizing the Office of National Drug Control that calls on the ONDCP to issue a report on its work and strategies to track and disrupt the use of illegal pill presses.

The amendment was passed by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability with bipartisan support and can now be considered in the House plenary session.

“We need to stop these fake prescription pills from getting into our communities. We need to stop them from killing our friends, family and children, and we need to make sure we get this legislation across the finish line,” Stansbury said.

NM Political Report is a nonprofit public news organization that provides in-depth, enterprising reporting on the people and politics of New Mexico.