WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) continued her efforts to fight the national drug epidemic today by co-sponsoring the Synthetics Trafficking & Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act. The STOP Act is designed to prevent shipments of dangerous synthetic drugs like fentanyl and carfentanil to drug traffickers by enabling Customs and Border Protection to better target potential illegal packages. This legislation comes at a critical time for West Virginia, after the City of Huntington recently experienced 28 heroin overdoses, resulting in two deaths, within four hours.
“The drug epidemic has hit West Virginia particularly hard, devastating families and communities in large numbers. Just weeks ago, the City of Huntington felt this pain after 28 residents overdosed on heroin that was likely laced with a dangerous synthetic drug,” said Senator Capito. “Enough is enough. The STOP Act has the ability to save lives by preventing the shipment of these dangerous synthetic drugs so they do not end up in the hands of criminal drug traffickers. We run the risk of losing a generation if this epidemic is not stopped, and I will continue working tirelessly to make sure these lethal drugs are eliminated from our communities.”
The STOP Act would require shipments from foreign counties through our postal system to provide electronic advance data – such as who and where the package is coming from, where it is going, and what is included in the package – before packages enter the United States.
The bill was introduced by Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.).
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