[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6315]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        COMBATING OPIOID CRISIS

  (Ms. TSONGAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, Police Chief William Taylor of my hometown 
of Lowell, Massachusetts, said:
  ``Each day two to three people overdose from opioids in Lowell. . . . 
The introduction of illicit fentanyl has been the game changer. . . .''
  In 2015, Massachusetts ranked second nationally per capita in deaths 
from synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which can be up to 50 times 
stronger than heroin. But Massachusetts is far from alone. Between 2014 
and 2015, nationwide deaths involving synthetic opioids tragically rose 
72 percent.
  That is why I partnered with Representative Brian Fitzpatrick to 
introduce the INTERDICT Act, which would provide U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection with enhanced chemical screening devices and 
scientific support to detect and intercept synthetic opioids like 
fentanyl.
  I thank Representative Fitzpatrick and our Senate counterparts for 
their partnership, and I urge all our colleagues to support the 
INTERDICT Act.
  To effectively combat the nationwide opioid crisis requires a 
comprehensive, cooperative, fully funded effort. The INTERDICT Act 
would be a powerful tool in eliminating synthetic opioids from the 
equation.

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