KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Biden-Harris administration announced a new plan to combat illegal fentanyl supply chains Tuesday morning, in an effort to prevent overdoses.
In an effort to crackdown on illegal fentanyl distribution and overdoses, the Biden administration says it will lead a global effort through the United Nations’ Commission on Narcotic Drugs that focuses on preventing international drug manufacturing, disrupting drug trafficking, responding to illegal finance, public health impacts and more.
The plan also aims to improve the spread of information between U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies, including tracking pill presses, preventing smuggling over the border and to better target fentanyl supply chains.
The Biden administration also says it will work closer with the private sector, increase financial sanctions to disrupt drug trafficking and to call on Congress to permanently close loopholes that drug traffickers attempt to use to avoid prosecution.
The administration also says it is working to improve accessibility to opioid overdose reversal products, to educate the youth of the dangers of fentanyl and to work to address addiction.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug 100 times more potent than morphine, that can lead to death in the event of an overdose. 107,375 people died of overdose in the United States between February 2021 and January 2022. 67% of the overdoses were caused by synthetic drugs like fentanyl, according to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
57.5 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills and 13,740 pounds of fentanyl were seized by the DEA in 2022. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency seized 14,700 pounds of fentanyl in the same year.
The plan is an expansion to Biden's National Drug Control Strategy, which focused on steps for treating addiction, targeting drug trafficking and more.
