33 Headlines that Underscore Why We Must Pass the STOP Act

On Wednesday in a listening session with leaders working to combat America’s opioid epidemic, President Donald Trump said “I promised to take action to keep drugs from pouring into our country.”

He is right. We need to stop drugs at their source.

Right now, a loophole in our postal system is allowing countries like China to ship extremely dangerous synthetic drugs through the mail and across our borders. To stop this illegal practice, I introduced the STOP Act, which would require mail sent through the U.S. Postal Service from other countries to list who sent it, who is receiving it and what’s in it so that U.S. Customs can better identify counterfeit packages. It is a commonsense fix that will keep drugs out of our country and out of the hands of drug traffickers in our communities.

Ohio is a top destination “for huge amounts of deadly fentanyl” and in my hometown, there is one fatal overdose per day.

This is a crisis that must be addressed — not just here in Ohio but everywhere.

Here are 33 headlines from this year so far that underscore why the STOP Act must become law. It will make all American communities safer and save more lives. Learn more on Tiberi.House.gov/STOPact.

1. BLOOMBERG: There’s a Drug Overdose Epidemic in America’s Suburbs (3/29/2017)
2. CINCINNATI, OHIO: Fentanyl, designer drugs shipped from China seized in Cincinnati (3/29/2017)
3. JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA: Customs makes big bust in fight against fentanyl, designer drugs (3/29/2017)
4. NEW YORK, NEW YORK: New Form of Drug Fentanyl Makes its Way to New York City (3/29/2017)
5. AKRON, OHIO: Akron man pleads guilty to charges for carfentanil death (3/29/2017)
6. TUSCON, ARIZONA: Synthetic Opioid deaths rising in Pima County (3/29/2017)
7. KENTUCKY: Drug overdoses help send more Kentuckians to an early grave, new report says (3/29/2017)
8. DAYTON, OHIO: Across Ohio, children are calling 911 to report overdoses (3/27/2017)
9. NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: Drug overdose deaths soared in New Orleans in 2016, now outpace murders, coroner says (3/24/2017)
10. PORTLAND, MAINE: A deadly epidemic: Addiction to opioids has put an entire generation at risk (3/26/2017)
11. MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA: Fentanyl a growing threat (3/25/2017)
12. COLUMBUS, OHIO: Fentanyl Crisis: Columbus, Ohio Has One Fatal Overdose Per Day (3/24/2017)
13. PADUCAH, KENTUCKY: Couple accused of trafficking synthetic drugs around children (3/24/2017)
14. RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA: A new synthetic opioid contributes to spike in Triangle drug overdoses (3/24/2017)
15. MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: Fentanyl Overdose Deaths Continue To Spike In Milwaukee County (3/23/2017)
16. COLORADO: ‘Terrifying’ Opioid Abuse Is Driving Spike In Colorado Heroin Fatalities (3/23/2017)
17. DAYTON, OHIO: ‘Substantial’ fentanyl operation busted by Sheriff’s task force (3/22/2017)
18. WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: Record drug bust yields 6,000 doses of heroin (3/22/2017)
19. CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY: ‘Huge’ quantity of deadly fentanyl seized in South Jersey (3/17/2017)
20. SAN ANGELO, TEXAS: Synthetic Drug Use on the Rise in Texas (3/17/2017)
21. CRESTVIEW, FLORIDA: Synthetic opioid making inroads in Crestview (3/14/2017)
22. NPR: Lethal Opiates Delivered By Mail From China, Killing Addicts In The U.S. (3/11/2017)
23. WEST VIRGINIA: Drugs are killing so many West Virginians the state can’t keep up with the funerals (3/7/2017)
24. SALEM, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Law enforcement focuses on fentanyl in fight against opioids (3/1/2017)
25. REISTERSTOWN, MARYLAND: Hogan declares Maryland heroin-crisis emergency (3/1/2017)
26. CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: Charleston-area man imported large amounts of fentanyl, then shipped drug nationwide (3/1/2017)
27. THE DAILY CALLER: Dealers Are Shipping Fentanyl From China For A Fraction Of The Cost Of Heroin (2/28/2017)
28. SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: Fentanyl: Cartels pushing deadly painkiller through San Diego (2/28/2017)
29. MESA, ARIZONA: Mesa firefighters working to deal with Carfentanil, a drug 10,000 times more potent than heroin (2/27/2017)
30. DAYTON, OHIO: Online black market drugs shipped directly to Miami Valley mail boxes from overseas (2/10/2017)
31. OHIO: Ohio a top destination for fentanyl from China (2/3/2017)
32. USA TODAY: Lethal opioids from China getting to U.S. courtesy of Postal Service (1/20/2017)
33. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Overdose Fatalities From Opioids Hit New Peaks (1/6/2017)

Tiberi.House.gov/STOPact