[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 12, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H5029-H5031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  SYNTHETIC DRUG AWARENESS ACT OF 2018

  Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 449) to require the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service 
to submit to Congress a report on the effects on public health of the 
increased rate of use of synthetic drugs, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 449

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Synthetic Drug Awareness Act 
     of 2018''.

     SEC. 2. REPORT ON EFFECTS ON PUBLIC HEALTH OF SYNTHETIC DRUG 
                   USE.

       (a) In General.--Not later than three years after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Surgeon General of the 
     Public Health Service shall submit to Congress a report on 
     the health effects of new psychoactive substances (including 
     synthetic drugs) used since January 2010 by persons who are 
     at least 12 years of age but no more than 18 years of age.
       (b) New Psychoactive Substance Defined.--For purposes of 
     subsection (a), the term ``new psychoactive substance'' means 
     a controlled substance analogue (as defined in section 
     102(32) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802(32)).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Latta) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for H.R. 449, 
the Synthetic Drug Awareness Act of 2018. Synthetic drugs, such as 
synthetic marijuana and bath salts, are produced in the lab and can 
have chemical structures that are designed to mimic or even enhance 
those naturally occurring drugs.
  Fentanyl, another synthetic drug, a substance that is 50 times more 
potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, has 
numerous analogs.
  These drugs are modified to circumvent the Drug Enforcement 
Administration's scheduling regime and are a serious public health 
risk. That is why H.R. 449 is so important, because it will require the 
United States Surgeon General to submit a comprehensive report to 
Congress on the public health effects of synthetic drug use among 
youth.
  I would like to thank my colleague from New York, Representative 
Hakeem Jeffries, for his hard work on this important initiative, along 
with Representatives Chris Collins, G.K. Butterfield, and Trey Gowdy.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1415

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the opioid crisis has left no one untouched by its 
destruction. Every age, sex, race, and socioeconomic class has felt the 
weight of the opioid epidemic and the disastrous effects it has on the 
lives of those in our Nation.
  As this epidemic continues to grow, we have seen a dramatic increase 
in the number of children who are suffering opioid overdoses. A study 
published in Pediatrics earlier this year found that the number of 
children admitted to hospitals from opioid overdoses has nearly doubled 
since 2004. Another study found that kids between 12 and 17 accounted 
for 60 percent of the opioid overdoses in the pediatric population.
  In 2016, nearly 4,000 children and young adults between the ages of 5 
and 24 years old died from overdose due to opioids, and that is why I 
support H.R. 449. This bipartisan legislation would require the Surgeon 
General to report on the public health impacts of synthetic drug use 
and abuse by adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18.
  Surgeon General reports have produced some of the most preeminent 
public health data available on some of the Nation's most pressing 
public health crises, from the adverse health consequences of tobacco 
use to reports on nutrition, HIV/AIDS, and violence. This is an 
important bill because it will allow the Surgeon General to address the 
impact of synthetic drug use on the youth population, and highlight the 
need for increased prevention efforts in the future.

[[Page H5030]]

  This bill, like so many of the bills we are considering today, helps 
raise awareness of the opioid crisis, and helps us to continue to chart 
a path forward in addressing this epidemic.
  But, Mr. Speaker, I am concerned that collectively these 57-plus 
bills we will consider in total, do not go far enough in providing the 
resources necessary for an epidemic of this magnitude. With 115 
Americans dying every day, we must ensure that people have access to 
treatment. The bills the House will debate this week do not do enough 
to expand treatment for millions suffering from this crisis.
  Additionally, Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not also 
acknowledge that the Republicans' ongoing efforts to repeal the 
Affordable Care Act gut Medicaid and take away critical protections for 
people with preexisting conditions, and would have a devastating impact 
on people who suffer from opioid substance abuse.
  When discussing the opioid crisis on the floor this week, I urge my 
colleagues to remember that protecting and expanding access to care is 
the most critical piece of the puzzle. And any efforts to roll back the 
Affordable Care Act, such as another Republican-led attempt to repeal 
the Affordable Care Act and gut Medicaid, will hurt those who need it 
most.
  With that said, I am pleased to support H.R. 449 and the other bills 
we will consider under suspension of the rules today.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Jeffries), the sponsor of H.R. 449.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman, the 
ranking member, Mr. Pallone, for yielding and for his leadership on 
this issue.
  I also want to thank Congressman Latta, as well as Chairman  Greg 
Walden and my colleagues: Chris Collins, Trey Gowdy, and G. K. 
Butterfield, who all were sponsors of this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 449, the Synthetic Drug 
Awareness Act. H.R. 449 addresses a critical and sometimes overlooked 
threat: the use of synthetic drugs by teenagers. It requires the 
Surgeon General to prepare a report on the public health effects of 
synthetic drug use by individuals aged 12 to 18 throughout America.
  With the information this study will provide, Congress can work to 
prevent substance abuse by younger Americans through an enhanced and 
enlightened lens. The opioid crisis has ravaged families across the 
country, without regard to ZIP Code, income, race, religion, or gender.
  Unfortunately, this public health emergency is now taking hold, in 
insidious ways, of our Nation's young people. Throughout the country, 
the drug overdose death rate has more than doubled during the past 
decade amongst younger Americans. This troubling phenomenon, in part, 
results from the rise and availability of potent and dangerous 
substances like illicit fentanyl, and synthetic marijuana, drugs that 
fall within the category covered by this legislation.
  Fentanyl, for instance, can be 50 to 100 times stronger than opioids, 
heroin, or morphine. Teenage fentanyl use, for instance, is a vicious 
cycle. Adolescents have a still-developing prefrontal cortex, which can 
facilitate drug-seeking behavior. The drug then alters the development 
of this area of the brain, making that behavior permanent.
  The majority of adults who develop a substance abuse disorder or 
addiction begin using before they are 18 years old. In order to address 
the multifaceted public health crisis that the opioid epidemic 
represents, we must consider both the cause and the effect.
  Advancing this legislation has been a collaborative process, and I 
greatly appreciate the hard work of all of my colleagues on both sides 
of the aisle.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 449.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from Oregon 
(Mr. Walden) will control the time for the majority.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Our work on the House floor today is the culmination of more than a 
year's effort to craft legislation in the Energy and Commerce Committee 
that will save lives and help stem the tide of the opioid crisis that 
has struck at the health of our people wherever they live in America.

  In my Oregon district, I have held multiple roundtable discussions 
with parents, with those addicted, and with those who treat the 
addicted. I have talked with law enforcement officials and emergency 
room physicians. I have sought the counsel and the advice of those who 
are closest to this national problem, and I have worked with my 
colleagues to carefully craft legislation that responds to the need and 
to their suggestions.
  The headlines--we know they are everywhere--tell the tragic stories 
of loved ones gone far too soon. We are confronting an addiction that 
mercilessly seizes control and then destroys. This killer doesn't 
discriminate--not by age, not by race, not by where you live, or what 
you believe.
  We are here because opioid addiction continues to take the lives of 
more than 100 people in America each and every day. These are real 
people in all of our districts--people like Amanda.
  Just this past January, Amanda was seeking relief from the pain 
surrounding her mental illness. She ended up dying from an overdose of 
fentanyl. Her father bravely shared his family's story with our 
committee, hoping that their loss would help spur Congress to modernize 
Federal laws. It is for the young people like Amanda and her parents--
people like Amanda who tragically lost their bright futures--that we 
come together today to advance so many bipartisan pieces of 
legislation.
  And it is for families like hers, the ones who are left behind with 
the heartbreak of a loss so many of us could never comprehend, that we 
will not rest until we have won the fight against opioid addiction.
  From passage of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, known 
as CARA, and the 21st Century Cures Act last Congress under the able 
leadership of Chairman Fred Upton, to the $4 billion in new funding 
passed earlier this year by this Congress, we have worked long and hard 
to help families and communities in despair.
  Last fall, the Health Subcommittee chairman, Mr. Burgess of Texas, 
invited all Members of the U.S. House to come before his Health 
Subcommittee and to share their best ideas on how to combat this 
crisis. We heard from more than 50 Members--Republicans, and Democrats 
alike.
  This spring, the Energy and Commerce Committee held a series of 
legislative hearings examining ways to protect our communities, to 
boost our public health and prevention efforts, and to improve 
treatment and care for patients of all ages and all backgrounds.
  While the work was not always easy, Mr. Speaker, the Energy and 
Commerce Committee has advanced 57 different pieces of legislation to 
this House floor, most with unanimous support, that may well be a 
record for legislating on a single issue.
  So while the surge of addiction looms large before us, I believe that 
we as a Congress and we as the American people are up to this task. The 
bills before us are not our first efforts in this fight, and you have 
my word they will not be the last.
  But I urge my colleagues today, tomorrow, the rest of this week, and 
next week to support the legislation before the House. We have an 
opportunity to save lives. We have a responsibility to our families, 
friends, communities, our neighbors, and our Nation to lift people out 
of addiction and to get America on a better path.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Virginia (Mrs. Comstock), who has been a real leader on this issue.
  Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Walden and Ranking 
Member Pallone for their leadership in working with us on a bipartisan 
basis for this important package.
  We all know the stories and have heard the stories time and again 
from our businesses, from our schools, from families visiting us, and 
we know this epidemic is hitting everybody. So I appreciate the 
opportunity to join together with my colleagues today to address this 
important issue.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 5473, the 
Better Pain

[[Page H5031]]

Management Through Better Data Act, and I would like to thank 
Representative Ben Ray Lujan for joining me in making this a bipartisan 
effort as an introduction as it went through committee, and now here as 
we are continuing to address this on the floor.
  Opioid addiction we know is plaguing our communities all across the 
country, creating victims, devastating families, and creating economic 
ruin. Long-term solutions to combating this crisis depend upon safety 
with existing therapies and deployment of novel next generation 
therapies.
  We need to ensure the policy and regulatory environment allows for 
greater adoption and use of less addictive treatments. This legislation 
will facilitate better clinical data on nonopioid alternatives so that 
doctors have more prescribing options and fewer opioids are prescribed 
in the first place, lowering the risk of addiction.
  The FDA is responsible for protecting public health by ensuring the 
safety and efficacy of drugs, biological products, and medical devices. 
While there may be alternatives to opioids for certain patients and 
conditions, there is a need for additional clarity and flexibility 
regarding what drug developers need to do to help reduce the need for 
opioids as part of the pain treatment regimen.
  This bill directs the FDA to have public meetings and issue guidance 
to industry, addressing data collection and labeling for medical 
products that reduce pain and may replace, delay, or reduce the use of 
oral opioids. This is one more effort to remove the barriers to 
investment and unleash the full potential of biomedical expertise to 
address this growing crisis.
  This is the primary reason, I am pleased to say, our bill has the 
strong support of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, also known 
as BIO, which represents more than 1,000 businesses, 
academic institutions, State biotechnology centers, and related 
entities.

  The experts believe this bill will stimulate renewed research and 
development, and more effectively prevent abuse. This is a step in the 
right direction and allows doctors to better meet their commitment to 
their most vulnerable patients by giving them both diverse and better 
options for nonaddictive treatments for pain.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the House today for addressing this issue, and 
really the ability to work together and find these solutions that we 
know are plaguing so many of our families. Everywhere we go we are all 
hearing about these stories, and I am heartened today we have joined 
together to provide more solutions.
  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers on this bill, so I 
would encourage support of H.R. 449, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would also urge my colleagues to support 
this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 449, 
the Synthetic Drug Awareness Act of 2017, which requires the Surgeon 
General to report to Congress on the public health effects of the in 
reased use since January 2010 by individuals who are 12 to 18 years old 
of drugs developed and manufactured to avoid control under the 
Controlled Substances Act.
  The term ``synthetic drug'' means a drug which is developed and 
manufactured to avoid control under the Controlled Substances Act.
  There are more than 200 identified synthetic drug compounds and more 
than 90 different synthetic drug marijuana compounds.
  Many of these synthetic drugs are made in foreign countries and then 
smuggled into the United States.
  These clandestinely-made drugs have no manufacturing safety standards 
that are normally required by the Food and Drug Administration.
  Synthetic opioids have surpassed prescription opioids as the most 
common drug class involved in overdose deaths in the United States.
  According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl-related 
deaths nationwide are up from previous years by 73 percent.
  Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid created using man-made chemical 
components rather than naturally occurring ingredients, is 50-100 times 
more potent than morphine.
  Overall, drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl-type drugs in th 
United States rose from about 3,000 in 2010 to more than 19,400 in 
2016.
  The rate of teen drug overdose deaths in the United States climbed 19 
percent from 2014 to 2015, from 3.1 deaths per 100,000 teens to 3.7 per 
100,000.
  The number of American teens to die of a drug overdose leapt by 
almost a fifth in 2015 after seven years of decline.
  The opioid epidemic claimed more than 52,000 lives in 2015.
  In Texas, Synthetic opioids account for almost one-fifth of drug 
related overdoses.
  In 2016, there were 1,375 opioid-related overdose deaths in Texas 
specifically, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
  Last year, 364 drug-related overdose deaths happened in Houston.
  Synthetic marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin top the 
list of drug-related problems in the Houston area.
  Geographically, death rates from overdoses involving synthetic 
opioids increased in 21 states, with 10 states doubling their rates 
from 2016-2017.
  No area of the United States is exempt from this epidemic--we all 
know a friend, family member or loved one devastated by opioids.
  H.R. 449 is a positive step in the right direction, I urge my 
colleagues to vote yes on H.R. 449, the Synthetic Drug Awareness Act of 
2017.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta), that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 449, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to require 
the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service to submit to Congress 
a report on the health effects of new psychoactive substances 
(including synthetic drugs) use.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________