According to Colorado Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen, the majority of fentanyl in Colorado and the entire United States is not being smuggled across the border. Instead, it is being brought in by U.S. citizens through airports and seaports, or delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.
According to her, the government ought to conduct thorough screenings of all mail for fentanyl.
Pettersen pointed out that despite the misleading statements often heard at the federal level, only 0.02% of fentanyl seizures occur at the border. While concerns about privacy are frequently raised, it is universally acknowledged that security screenings are necessary when boarding an airplane. Pettersen questioned the distinction between ensuring a swift screening process for items being mailed across the country and the precautions taken at airports.
On Wednesday at the State Capitol, Pettersen presented an update to a state legislative committee that concentrates on addressing opioid and substance use disorders. She emphasized that Colorado is leading the way in terms of prevention and treatment. “It’s astonishing to think that fentanyl testing strips are still considered illegal at the federal level. This is completely absurd,” she stated.
Pettersen, a previous state legislator, spearheaded the battle against opioid addiction in Colorado. Her commitment to this cause continues in Congress, where she has already introduced six bills since assuming office in January. Several of these bills draw inspiration from her successful state-level legislation, encompassing proposals such as ensuring insurance coverage for naloxone, a life-saving drug, and extending Medicaid coverage for residential treatment.
In addition, she is currently focused on developing unprecedented legislation that aims to combat the involvement of financial institutions in supporting cartels, as well as addressing the issue of social media platforms and payment services, such as Venmo, which facilitate the sale of illegal substances to minors.
Despite the inclusion of $3.5 billion in the Infrastructure Act for the enhancement of drug screening at the border and ports, Pettersen cautions that Congress, on the whole, intends to reduce funding for the opioid epidemic by billions of dollars.
Pettersen stated that the stigma remains the biggest obstacle in tackling the opioid epidemic, regardless of whether it is at the state level in Colorado or at the federal level.
She is making sure to represent the epidemic in Congress, just as she did previously in the legislature. By openly sharing her mother’s 30-year battle with opioids and her subsequent recovery, she aims to change her colleagues’ perception of addiction. Her goal is to help them understand that addiction is a brain disease, rather than a reflection of moral failure.
Pettersen emphasized the need for genuine concern, funding, and prioritization to bring about the immense possibilities that lie ahead.
As Pettersen focuses on federal legislation, the legislative committee concurrently focuses on state legislation. The proposed bills for consideration encompass various areas such as the establishment of safe injection sites, allocation of funds for transitional and recovery housing, and the implementation of incentives to encourage clinics and pharmacies to offer on-demand opioid treatment.
Nearly 1,800 Coloradans died of a drug overdose last year. Half of them involved fentanyl.
