Bipartisan Bill Would Help U.S. Law Enforcement Prevent Drug Smuggling And Save Lives
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), announced that she helped reintroduce the bipartisan Eradicating Narcotic Drugs and Formulating Effective New Tools to Address National Yearly Losses of Life (END FENTANYL) Act, which would help end drug smuggling by requiring the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to update its drug interdiction guidance at least once every three years to ensure it is up to date. Currently, many CBP policies that outline drug interdiction practices are outdated and do not provide guidance on how to handle drugs such as fentanyl.
“Fentanyl is a deadly drug that is killing people and breaking up families in Nevada and across our nation,” said Senator Rosen. “This bipartisan legislation will ensure that law enforcement officers are better prepared to stop drug smuggling into the United States by providing them with updated tools and training necessary to prevent the spread of dangerous drugs like fentanyl and help save lives.”
This legislation, which Senator Rosen also co-sponsored last Congress when it passed the U.S. Senate, builds off the 2019 GAO report, “Land Ports of Entry: CBP Should Update Policies and Enhance Analysis of Inspections,” which found that drug interdiction guidance has not been updated in 20 years. Senator Rosen has taken action to help address the threat of dangerous and illegal drugs coming into the United States. Her bipartisan DHS Opioid Detection Resilience Act was signed into law and would ensure that Department of Homeland Security personnel have the tools needed — like chemical screening devices — to more easily detect synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, which are contributing to the devastating substance abuse crisis in Nevada and across the country.
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