American Medical Association Joins Growing List of Supporters of STOP Act
Calls Bill A “Vital Tool” to Fight Opioid Epidemic
Washington, D.C. – The American Medical Association (AMA) has announced its support for the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act, legislation that would close a loophole in the global postal system that has created a pipeline for deadly synthetic drugs into the United States. Because of this loophole, nearly one million packages are shipped to the United States every day without the advance security data that would allow law enforcement to identify packages containing dangerous materials – including deadly synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
“Physicians and medical professionals are on the frontlines of this epidemic and know all too well how critical it is to address the opioid epidemic at its source,” said Gov. Tom Ridge, senior advisor to Americans for Securing All Packages (ASAP). “For medical professionals to be effective at providing treatment and helping with recovery, we first must shut down the supply of these deadly synthetic drugs from overseas before they come into our communities.”
“With overdose deaths reaching tragic new heights, we’re glad that the AMA is putting their highly-respected voice behind the STOP Act,” said Juliette Kayyem, senior advisor to ASAP. “As medical professionals and law enforcement urge Congress to act, it’s time to do all we can to turn the tide on this epidemic.”
New data estimate that the United States had over 59,000 fatal overdoses in 2016 – an unprecedented number that makes drug overdoses the leading cause of death for Americans under 50 and puts an unprecedented strain on our medical communities. Synthetic opioids, which can be hundreds of times more potent than heroin, are a major contributing factor in these deaths. These drugs are often manufactured overseas, and the postal loophole provides bad actors with a route to smuggle them into the U.S. and onto the doorsteps of families across the country.
The STOP Act, which would require advance electronic data on all packages entering the U.S., has broad bipartisan support, with 17 co-sponsors in the Senate and 140 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.
The AMA’s statement of support for the STOP Act can be found here.
About Americans for Securing All Packages
Americans for Securing All Packages (ASAP) is a bipartisan coalition composed of health care advocates, national security experts, businesses and nonprofits who believe it is time for the U.S. government to take action and ensure that all packages being shipped to the United States from any foreign postal service are adequately screened before arriving on the doorsteps of unsuspecting Americans.
