Biden calls for bigger penalties, more controls to fight US fentanyl
crisis
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[August 01, 2024]
By Trevor Hunnicutt
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden called for larger penalties
for drug smugglers and stricter controls on pill presses and importers
on Wednesday as part of new steps to deal with the U.S. opioid crisis,
according to a senior administration official.
The efforts come as illicit fentanyl remains a potent issue for Biden
and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is poised to clinch the Democratic
nomination for the Nov. 5 election. Fentanyl overdoses have surged to
become the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18
and 45 and over 107,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2023.
The lethal narcotic is trafficked into the United States, often across
the porous U.S.-Mexico border, and easily manufactured from chemicals
sourced in China.
Biden said he was directing federal agencies to do more on collecting
intelligence, coordination to disrupt trafficking and working with the
private sector on counter-narcotics, according to the official, who
declined to be named.
He will also ask Congress to pass legislation to create a nationwide
registry of pill press machinery that could be used to produce the
drugs, raise penalties on traffickers, regulate some fentanyl-related
substances more stringently and require importers of small packages to
provide more information to customs officials.
"This is a time to act. And this is a time to stand together - for all
those we have lost, and for all the lives we can still save," Biden said
in a statement.
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A pill is seen pressed from a pill press at Reuters' office in New
York City, U.S., June 24, 2024. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
As part of an effort launched last
year to thaw icy relations with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Biden
agreed to cooperate with Beijing on counter-narcotics.
A delegation of senior Chinese officials was set to
meet the Biden administration on Wednesday to continue conversations
on increasing controls on fentanyl chemicals and restricting
financing for the drug trade in China.
"We are well aware that there is a lot more that the PRC needs to
do," said the official, referring to the People's Republic of China.
Biden and Harris have faced criticism from Republican presidential
candidate Donald Trump over irregular crossings along the Mexican
border. Biden administration officials have pushed back on the
criticism, blaming Republicans for killing a bipartisan deal that
would have increased border patrol resources to crack down on drug
trafficking.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu.
Editing by Heather Timmons and Deepa Babington)
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