Senator Hassan Statement on China Classifying Fentanyl as a Controlled Substance

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan released the following statement after the announcement that China will classify fentanyl as a controlled substance following talks with the United States at the G20 summit:

“I applaud the Trump Administration for working to secure this agreement with China to classify fentanyl as a controlled substance, and we must do all we can to hold China accountable and ensure that they follow through on this commitment. Last week’s report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing a massive increase in the number of drug deaths nationwide from synthetic drugs like fentanyl underscores just how critical it is that we can strengthen drug interdiction operations and support treatment, prevention, and recovery efforts. This announcement and the signing of bipartisan measures to help stop the flow of fentanyl into our country are important steps, but we have far more work to do to turn the tide of this devastating crisis.”

In October, Senator Hassan attended the White House signing ceremony for the bipartisan opioid package, which included the STOP Act that she cosponsored to help stop the shipment of fentanyl from places like China into the United States through the U.S. Postal Service. Earlier this year, the Senator was also on hand as President Trump signed the INTERDICT Act, which she cosponsored to help ensure U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has the tools to help detect and intercept fentanyl and other illegal synthetic opioids. 

Data released last week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found a 45 percent increase from 2016 to 2017 nationwide in drug deaths involving synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

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