Fentanyl named national security threat by House Armed Services Committee
President Joe Biden declared fentanyl trafficking a national emergency through an executive order signed on Dec. 15, 2021. In 2021, 70,601 people in the U.S. died from a fentanyl overdose — a 25% increase from the number of deaths in 2020.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the death rate from synthetic opioid overdoses was 18 times higher in 2020 than in 2013. Data from the Drug Enforcement Administration shows fentanyl is involved in more deaths of Americans younger than 50 than any other cause of death.
Data from the Arizona Department of Health and Human Services shows fentanyl was Arizona’s leading cause of opioid-related deaths from 2020-21. In 2021, Arizona led the nation in fentanyl seizures.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin and up to 100 times stronger than morphine. It is often mixed with other drugs like heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine to enhance the drug’s effect.
This is sometimes done without the user’s knowledge, substantially increasing the risk of an overdose. Because of its strength, a dose as small as two milligrams can be lethal. The DEA recently found that 6 of every 10 fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills contain a potentially lethal dose.
The drug is now being named a national security crisis by Congress. The National Defense Authorization Act for the fiscal year 2024 was released by the House Armed Services Committee and placed on the calendar for a full House vote later in July.
The bill contains two provisions authored by Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-AZ, that call on the Department of Defense to conduct a threat analysis on the drug and make a report on how the DOD is responding to fentanyl as a national emergency.
“As Arizona’s only member of the House Armed Services Committee, it is my priority to leverage the Defense Department’s unique capabilities to help end the fentanyl epidemic,” Gallego said. “I heard directly from leaders in Arizona that more needs to be done. That’s why I’m proud of our work securing two provisions in this year’s NDAA to ensure federal leaders use a whole-of-government approach — that includes the DOD.”
Gallego’s staff told the Herald/Review the DOD needs to conduct a detailed threat analysis on fentanyl so that it can fully leverage its counter-narcotic resources. They said this is important because the lifecycle around fentanyl trafficking is much different than other drugs and requires a new approach.
According to Gallego’s staff, there are many legal precursors used in the production of fentanyl coming from many different countries. It gets transported in very small amounts. The combination of these factors makes the drug difficult to track.
Gallego’s staff is confident the NDAA will pass the House and the Senate with these provisions intact. No changes to the language were required for the bill to make it out of committee, and addressing fentanyl as a national emergency has bipartisan support.
The two provisions have the support of local politicians in Cochise County.
“We are grateful to Congressman Gallego for his deep concern for border safety,” said Douglas Mayor Donald Huish. “The technological expertise of DOD will be a great advantage to help stop the devastating crisis of fentanyl. It will allow law enforcement to maximize their limited manpower and resources in the most critical areas along the border. This is a big step in the right direction to improve the safety of our community and citizens.”
Bisbee Mayor Ken Budge emphasized the impact of fentanyl on small towns, saying the crisis often has a much more significant effect on small towns than big cities because of the lack of resources available to combat addiction.
“Bisbee could use suppose from federal and state law enforcement agencies to enhance efforts to interdict fentanyl and prosecute those who traffic in it,” said Budge. “Opioid addiction is a chronic disease that requires treatment. Small towns like ours do not have the funding to support access to treatment and mental health or substance abuse services. There is a need to implement drug prevention programs and reduce the stigma associated with addiction.
“The fentanyl crisis is a serious problem and cannot be addressed by one small local agency, but by working with and receiving support from our state and federal partners, we can save lives and build a healthier future for our communities.”
Rising overdose rates within the military have lawmakers concerned. In May, lawmakers led by Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., introduced legislation that would require the Pentagon to publicly release statistics on overdoses within the armed forces every year and improve treatment options available to personnel suffering from addiction.
Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who signed onto the bill, said overdoses within the military were “an institutional failure and a threat to our national defense.”
Recent reporting by the Washington Post shows there was a record number of overdoses within the military in 2021, with the Army having the highest numbers.
Data obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by the Washington Post shows that 127 soldiers died of fentanyl overdoses between 2015 and 2021. That is more than double the number killed in combat in Afghanistan during the same period.
In a letter to lawmakers, the Pentagon said that 332 service members died of overdoses between 2017 and 2021, and another 15,000 survived overdoses. In its report, the Washington Post pointed out this number did not match the numbers obtained through its FOIA request.
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By Emily Ellis, Herald/Review Media