Dear Senator Johnson,
I am writing on behalf of the members of the Fraternal Order of Police to advise you of our support for your bill, S. 1622, the “Stopping Overdoses ofFentanyl Analogues (SOFA) Act.”
Each day, 200 Americans die from a drug overdose-nearly half now involve fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that’s 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin. Despite fentanyl being listed as a Schedule II prescription drug that mimics the effects of morphine, as little as 2 milligrams of illicit fentanyl-similar in size to just a few grains of salt-can be fatal. Congress gave the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) the authority to categorize fentanyl and its analogues as Schedule I drugs in February 2018, and has extended that authority to 6 May 2021. However, we need a more permanent solution.
Your legislation would amend current law to prevent criminal drug traffickers and manufacturers from evading Federal penalties by using analogue drugs which are just as lethal as fentanyl. Congress should upgrade the classification of fentanyl analogues from its current classification of a Schedule II controlled substance to a Schedule I.
On behalf of the more than 350,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police, I am proud to offer our support for this legislation. If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me or my Executive Director, Jim Pasco, in my Washington office.
Sincerely,
Patrick Yoes
National President