Feds must aid local authorities in opioid epidemic

Lowell Police Chief William Taylor called the introduction of illicit fentanyl a “game changer” in the ongoing fight against the opioid crisis. And like many local law enforcement leaders in the Merrimack Valley and across Massachusetts, he knows that from firsthand experience.

In fact, Taylor’s department played a key role in the massive illicit fentanyl drug bust that took place in May, which saw federal, state and local officials team up to bring down one of the state’s largest fentanyl trafficking networks. That cooperative investigation and its extraordinary result — the seizure of more than 2 kilograms of fentanyl and the arrests of 30 people — underscored the extent of the fentanyl flood in this country and in particular, here in the commonwealth.

Fentanyl is a deadly synthetic opioid that can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine. Although pharmaceutical fentanyl can be misused, most fentanyl deaths are linked to illicitly-manufactured fentanyl and illicit versions of chemically similar compounds known as fentanyl analogs. Between 2014 and 2015, deaths in the United States involving synthetic opioids such as fentanyl rose 72 percent, amounting to 9,500 deaths nationwide.

In Massachusetts, the proportion of overdose deaths attributed to fentanyl is rising at a meteoric rate. At its lowest, in the third quarter of 2014, fentanyl was present in 18 percent of opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts. But in 2016, fentanyl was present in a staggering 69 percent of the state’s opioid-related deaths, resulting in 1,400 fentanyl-related deaths in the commonwealth.

The primary sources of fentanyl are outside the United States, principally Mexico and China. The drug is smuggled across the U.S. border or delivered through the mail or private carriers. Fentanyl can also be ordered online. And because of its extreme potency, fentanyl typically comes in small amounts, making it more difficult for authorities to detect.

That is why we recently introduced bipartisan legislation, the International Narcotics Trafficking Emergency Response by Detecting Incoming Contraband with Technology, or INTERDICT, Act. The bill would provide U.S. Customs and Border Protection with resources to acquire state-of-the-art drug detection technology to better identify and confiscate fentanyl before it enters the United States. These hightech devices also protect law enforcement officers on the front lines from exposure to the deadly narcotic, which is so powerful that coming into contact with just a few grains can be fatal.

Every time we meet with local public safety officials they explain the urgent need for resources and support to combat drugs like fentanyl. The bill responds to the needs of these first responders and recognizes that the 21st century threat of synthetic opioids including fentanyl requires the latest tools to stop them.

The INTERDICT Act is an important solution, but it is just one piece of a much larger strategy to address the opioid epidemic. There remains a need to establish a comprehensive, fully-funded plan at the local, state and federal levels to stem the tide of prescription drugs, heroin and fentanyl. Law enforcement officers walking the beat in our neighborhoods see the deadly consequences of these drugs every day. They are utilizing whatever tools are at their disposal to save lives. The federal government must do its part to ensure our first responders have the weapons they need in this greatest of public health fights.