Pascrell bill clears House

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) on Thursday praised the advancement of a measure he co-sponsored meant to stem the flow of opioids through the post.

“In 2016, 2,056 people lost their lives to the opioid scourge in my home state. That number may surpass 3,000 this year. Many synthetic opioids reach our homes through the mail, making them difficult to detect. Given the astronomical volume of international shipments the Postal Service processes, more data is needed to catch synthetic opioids at ports of entry,” Pascrell said. “This legislation will plug gaping loopholes exploited by drug traffickers.”

The Synthetic Trafficking and Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act would require the U.S. Postal Service to transmit electronic data about international shipments to Customs and Border Patrol. That data, which would include the names and addresses of the shipper and recipient, could help customs officials identify and block shipments of synthetic opioids like Fentanyl.

The bill, H.R. 5788, passed the House on Thursday and will face a vote in the U.S. Senate before advancing to the president’s desk.