Allred, Castro Introduce Bill to Tackle Fentanyl Crisis

Texas Reps. Colin Allred (D) and Joaquin Castro (D) have joined a bipartisan group of House members in introducing the Destruction Initiative for Stored Precursors Overseas and Safe Enforcement (DISPOSE) Act. The bill creates fentanyl and precursor chemical destruction facilities in three critical drug trafficking points: Mexico, Colombia, and Peru.

The production and distribution of fentanyl has been a topic of concern during the presidential election. President Donald Trump (R) has accused the Biden Administration of mishandling the border, which the former president says has resulted in an influx of fentanyl being brought into the country.

In an effort to address the concern, a bipartisan group of lawmakers have introduced H.R. 9172, a bill that "deals with the problem by developing a strategy to locate, identify, and safely destroy fentanyl precursor chemicals before they reach the United States."

In a statement, Rep. Castro urged the House "to address the roots of the fentanyl crisis in our country." "The DISPOSE Act will help our neighbors in the Western Hemisphere safely destroy fentanyl and precursor chemicals that have been seized from the black market." He praised the bill, arguing that it will "keep these chemicals out of the wrong hands and stop the production of fentanyl before it can be trafficked into the United States."

The DISPOSE Act establishes the Precursor Chemical Destruction Initiative that will fight drug trafficking with allies in the Western Hemisphere. Working in conjunction with partner countries, the effort would:

• Increase rates of seizure and destruction of listed chemicals in beneficiary countries;
• Alleviate the backlog of seized chemicals and dispose them in an environmentally safe and effective manner;
• Ensure that the seized chemicals are not reintroduced into the illicit drug production network within beneficiary countries;
• Free up storage space for future chemical seizures within beneficiary countries; and
• Reduce the chemicals’ negative environmental impact.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley (R), New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D), and Idaho Senator Jim Risch (R)have introduced companion legislation in the Senate.