Buckeye Reporter

CINCINNATI, OH –  U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined local leaders and law enforcement personnel at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office to discuss his Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act, a sanctions and anti-money laundering bill aimed at combatting the country’s fentanyl crisis and saving lives in Ohio by targeting the illicit fentanyl supply chain, from the chemical suppliers in China to the cartels that transport the drugs in from Mexico. Last week, Brown chaired a legislative markup in the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee on the bill, where the committee voted unanimously to advance the legislation to the Senate Floor. Brown was joined by Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey, Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus, and Newtown Police Chief Tom Synan.

“I hear over and over from Ohioans that we need new, more powerful tools to prevent the flow of fentanyl into our communities,” said Brown. “Our bipartisan bill targets fentanyl at the source. We are going after the illicit fentanyl supply chain, from China through Mexico, to help stop this drug before it ever reaches our communities.”

“Thank you to Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown for spearheading this important legislation to proactively address the fentanyl crisis in our country. Law enforcement throughout our nation spends an inordinate amount of time and resources to address the devastating fall out of fentanyl use in our communities,” said Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey. “The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is no exception. As first responders, we witness the trauma and violence associated with fentanyl use on individuals, children, and families every day.”

“We need to fight against the scourge of fentanyl from all fronts.  Too many lives are being lost to the use of this dangerous drug.  I am grateful that Senator Brown has offered the FEND Off Fentanyl Act as he continues to be a strong partner to tackle this challenge of addiction in our community,” said Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus.

"If illicit fentanyl gets into the United States, it is too late. Once it is in, it forces us to be reactive. A continuous emergency response. The FEND Off Fentanyl Act shifts to a more proactive response, allowing the United States to disrupt the illicit fentanyl supply chain where it begins, before it reaches our shores,” said Newtown Police Chief Tom Synan. “If we are going to slow this epidemic down, get in front of it, we must go after where it starts. The FEND Off Fentanyl Act gives us the tools to block illicit fentanyl from those that produce it. Take on the original traffickers bringing this deadly illicit drug to our country. Giving the opportunity to shift out of an emergency, so we can connect more to care and save lives."

The prevalence of dangerous fentanyl, often mixed with other substances, is a serious public health threat to Ohio communities. In 2021, fentanyl was involved in 80% of Ohio unintentional drug overdose deaths. The DEA and law enforcement partners seized more than 87,000 fentanyl-laced pills in Ohio in a period of less than four months last year. By strengthening current law and directing the Treasury Department to target, sanction, and block the financial assets of transnational criminal organizations, and target those that launder money to facilitate illicit opioid trafficking, the FEND Off Fentanyl Act aims to stop the flow of deadly fentanyl into Ohio communities by penalizing those that traffic in synthetic opioids.

Brown – who chairs the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee – introduced the Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act with Ranking Member Tim Scott (R-SC) and the leaders of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI) and Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS). The bill has 40 bipartisan cosponsors.

Brown also recently reintroduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to provide state and local law enforcement with high-tech devices to detect and identify dangerous drugs like fentanyl. The Providing Officers with Electronic Resources (POWER) Act would establish a new grant program through the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to help state and local law enforcement organizations secure these high-tech, portable screening devices.

The legislation builds on Senator Brown’s leadership in fighting to stop the flow of fentanyl into Ohio’s communities, and to expand treatment options for Ohioans. Senator Brown worked with former Senator Toomey (R-PA) to pass the Meeting the China Challenge Act of 2021, which required the Administration to impose sanctions on fentanyl traffickers to help stem the flow of illegal opioids, and provided a foundation for the FEND Off Fentanyl Act.

Brown helped pass the bipartisan Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure (PREVENT) Act which allows state and local governments to purchase containment devices to safely store dangerous drugs and preserve them for evidentiary use and provide first responders training to reduce their risk of secondary exposure to lethal substances. This legislation builds off Brown’s INTERDICT Act, which provides U.S. Customs and Border Protection with additional high-tech screening equipment and lab resources to detect fentanyl before it enters the U.S.

Brown and former Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) worked together to make more treatment beds available to Ohioans struggling with addiction, and to provide greater support to treat newborns exposed to opioids, and their families. He also helped passed the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act which increases access to medication assisted treatment options for Ohioans struggling with opioid use disorder. And his bipartisan bill to support grandparents now raising children in light of the opioid epidemic, the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act, was signed into law by President Trump. Brown has also urged major drug companies to make the opioid overdose medication, naloxone, be available over the counter.

Read the Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act one-pager HERE, and the full bill text HERE.

Original source can be found here.