President Trump: Deadly Drugs Are “Using Our Postal System and They’re Killing Our People”
The STOP Act would help cut off the pipeline of synthetic opioids that President Trump says are entering the country “through our own postal system” by closing a major security loophole
Washington, D.C. – This week, President Trump called attention to a growing entry point for deadly synthetic opioids to reach the United States: the global postal system. While signing the INTERDICT Act, which provides Customs and Border Protection agents with screening devices for detecting toxic drugs sent to American ports and mail facilities, the president highlighted the continued use of global mail for sending deadly opioids such as fentanyl and carfentanil.
“Drugs are entering our country across our borders and even through our own postal system,” explained President Trump. “They’re using our postal system and they’re killing our people.”
Following President Trump’s remarks, ASAP senior advisors Gov. Tom Ridge and Juliette Kayyem made the following statements:
“We are thankful that this administration appreciates the magnitude of the opioid epidemic, and is working towards solutions to keep Americans safe,” said Governor Tom Ridge, senior advisor to ASAP. “To ensure our law enforcement officers are able to keep deadly synthetic drugs out of the country, Congress must pass the STOP Act and send it to President Trump’s desk as soon as possible.”
“Drug traffickers, terrorists and other bad actors cannot be allowed to continue to abuse our postal system to harm American families and communities,” said Juliette Kayyem, senior advisor to ASAP. “Congress needs to continue the momentum and provide our Customs and Border Protection agents with all of the tools they need to keep American families safe from toxic opioids, including advanced electronic data.”
The Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention (STOP Act) would complement the INTERDICT Act by providing security agencies and law enforcement with the advanced electronic data needed to effectively screen the massive number of packages entering the country, and stop those containing illicit material, such as fentanyl. The STOP Act currently has 29 co-sponsors in the Senate and 252 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, and is endorsed by those on the front lines of the opioid crisis, including the Fraternal Order of Police, the American Medical Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures.
