In Response to Graham, Officials Agree on Important Step to Reduce Fentanyl Trafficking, Overdose Deaths
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) led a hearing titled, "The Countdown: Fentanyl Analogues & the Expiring Emergency Scheduling Order."
The committee heard testimony from the Office of National Drug Control Policy Associate Director of the National Opioids Coordination Group Kemp Chester, the Department of Justice Director of Opioid Enforcement and Prevention Efforts Amanda Liskamm, and the Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Chief of Operations Greg Cherundolo.
- GRAHAM: “Is the simple solution to take the [emergency] order and codify it?”
- CHESTER: “Yes Senator. I mean, that is the simplest and that is the first step. But I do believe that we also need to look, in a more comprehensive fashion, at the fact that the action we take causes a reaction on the part of the traffickers and that they have a wide variance in chemicals that they can bring in the United States. But absolutely, that’s a critical, most important first step that we have to take.”
- LISKAMM: “Yes Chairman, making the temporary scheduling order permanent so that we have permanent class-wide scheduling is the first and most important step we can take right now to fight this epidemic.”
- CHERUNDOLO: “I would agree with that as well…” https://youtu.be/RpkkTeFG99o?t=1
