10.08.2018

Opioid Bill Sent to President

By a vote of 98 to 1, the U.S. Senate passed a large bill to fight the nation’s opioid crisis, and sent it to President Trump for his signature. The House had passed the measure the week before by a 393 to 8 vote.  Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R) was the only Senate opponent of the bill that combines numerous proposals and initiatives across many federal agencies.  For example, one measure calls for the U.S. Postal Service to screen packages shipped from overseas for the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Last Thursday in Massachusetts, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling announced a major drug raid in Lawrence that seized more than 10 kilograms of deadly fentanyl. “The amount of fentanyl we have seized today could kill half the state,” or approximately 3.4 million people, Lelling said.