III 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 83 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the trafficking of illicit fentanyl 

into the United States from Mexico and China. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 8, 2017 

Mr. MARKEY (for himself and Mr. RUBIO) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the trafficking 

of illicit fentanyl into the United States from Mexico 

and China. 

Whereas the United States continues to experience a prescription opioid and heroin overdose epidemic that 

claimed more than 33,000 lives in 2015; 

Whereas fentanyl is a synthetic opioid and the euphoric effects of fentanyl are sometimes indistinguishable from the 

euphoric effects of heroin or morphine; 

Whereas the effect of fentanyl can be up to 50 times stronger 

than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine; 

Whereas although pharmaceutical fentanyl can be diverted 

for misuse, most fentanyl deaths are believed to be linked 

to illicitly manufactured fentanyl and illicit versions of 


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•SRES 83 IS 

chemically similar compounds known as fentanyl analogs 

(collectively referred to in this preamble as ‘‘illicit 

fentanyl’’); 

Whereas illicit fentanyl is potentially lethal even if only a very 

small quantity is ingested or inhaled; 

Whereas across the United States, illicit fentanyl use and related deaths are rising at alarming rates; 

Whereas illicit fentanyl is cheaper to manufacture than heroin and the sale of illicit fentanyl is highly profitable for 

drug dealers; 

Whereas illicit fentanyl is sold for its heroin-like effects and 

illicit fentanyl is often mixed with heroin, cocaine, or 

methamphetamine as a combination product, with or 

without the knowledge of the user; 

Whereas illicit fentanyl is often produced to physically resemble other opioid pain medicines, such as oxycodone, which 

sell for high amounts on the street; 

Whereas drug users often overdose on illicit fentanyl because 

users are unaware that they are ingesting illicit fentanyl 

and do not anticipate the toxicity and potential lethality 

of illicit fentanyl; 

Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention, between 2014 and 2015, the death rate from 

overdoses caused by synthetic opioids, including illicit 

fentanyl and synthetic opioid pain relievers other than 

methadone and heroin, increased 72 percent; 

Whereas, in 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration (referred to in this preamble as the ‘‘DEA’’) issued a National Drug Threat Assessment Summary, which found 

that Mexican transnational criminal organizations are— 


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•SRES 83 IS 

(1) the greatest criminal drug threat to the United 

States; and 

(2) poly-drug organizations that use established 

transportation routes and distribution networks to traffic 

heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana 

throughout the United States; 

Whereas, in 2016, the DEA issued a National Heroin Threat 

Assessment Summary, which found that ‘‘starting in late 

2013, several States reported spikes in overdose deaths 

due to fentanyl and its analog acetyl-fentanyl’’; 

Whereas the 2016 National Heroin Threat Assessment Summary found that— 

(1) Mexican drug traffickers are expanding their operations to gain a larger share of eastern United States 

heroin markets; and 

(2) the availability of heroin is increasing throughout the United States; 

Whereas in 2015, there were more than 9,580 overdose 

deaths in the United States caused by synthetic opioids, 

including— 

(1) illicit fentanyl; and 

(2) synthetic opioid pain relievers other than methadone and heroin; 

Whereas the number of deaths attributable to illicit fentanyl 

may be significantly underreported because— 

(1) coroners and medical examiners do not test, or 

lack the resources to test, routinely for fentanyl; 

(2) crime laboratories lack the resources to test routinely for fentanyl; and 

(3) illicit fentanyl deaths may erroneously be attributed to heroin; 


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•SRES 83 IS 

Whereas, in March 2015, the DEA issued a nationwide alert 

on illicit fentanyl as a threat to health and public safety; 

Whereas, in October 2015, the Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention issued a health advisory through its 

Health Alert Network— 

(1) to make public health officials aware of the increase in fentanyl-related overdose fatalities; 

(2) to provide recommendations for improving detection of fentanyl-related overdose outbreaks; and 

(3) to encourage States to expand access to, and 

training on, naloxone; 

Whereas, in August 2016, the Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention updated the health advisory issued in October 2015 to make public health officials aware of the 

increasing— 

(1) availability of counterfeit pills containing various 

amounts of fentanyl and fentanyl-related compounds; and 

(2) frequency with which fentanyl-related compounds 

are mixed with, or sold as, heroin; 

Whereas illicit fentanyl has the potential to endanger public 

health workers, first responders, and law enforcement 

personnel who may unwittingly come into contact with illicit fentanyl by accidentally inhaling airborne powder; 

Whereas, according to the DEA— 

(1) Mexico is the primary source for illicit fentanyl 

trafficked into the United States; and 

(2) distributors in China are the source of the 

fentanyl analogs and the precursor chemicals to manufacture fentanyl analogs that are found in Mexico and Canada; 

Whereas fentanyl produced illicitly in Mexico is— 


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•SRES 83 IS 

(1) smuggled across the southwest border of the 

United States, or delivered through mail and express consignment couriers; and 

(2) often mixed with heroin or diluents in the United 

States and then distributed in the same United States 

markets in which white powder heroin is distributed; and 

Whereas United States law enforcement officials have recently seen— 

(1) an influx of illicit fentanyl into the United States 

directly from China; 

(2) shipments of the equipment to manufacture illicit fentanyl, such as pill presses; and 

(3) some illicit fentanyl products being smuggled 

into the United States across the northern border with 

Canada: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) the use of illicit fentanyl in the United 

3 States and the resulting overdose deaths are a public 

4 health crisis; 

5 (2) the trafficking of illicit fentanyl into the 

6 United States, especially the trafficking of illicit 

7 fentanyl by transnational criminal organizations, is a 

8 problem that requires close cooperation between the 

9 United States Government and the Governments of 

10 Mexico and China; 

11 (3) the United States Government and the Gov12 ernments of Mexico and China have a shared inter13 est in, and responsibility for, stopping the producVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:06 Mar 09, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR83.IS SR83

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•SRES 83 IS 

1 tion of illicit fentanyl and its trafficking into the 

2 United States; 

3 (4) the United States should— 

4 (A) support efforts by the Governments of 

5 Mexico and China to stop the production of il6 licit fentanyl and its trafficking into the United 

7 States; and 

8 (B) take further measures to reduce and 

9 prevent heroin and fentanyl consumption 

10 through— 

11 (i) enhanced enforcement to reduce 

12 the illegal supply; and 

13 (ii) increased use of evidence-based 

14 prevention, treatment, and recovery serv15 ices; and 

16 (5) the United States Government, including 

17 the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the 

18 Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of 

19 the Office of National Drug Control Policy, should 

20 use the broad diplomatic and law enforcement re21 sources of the United States, in partnership with the 

22 Governments of Mexico and China, to stop the pro23 duction of illicit fentanyl and its trafficking into the 

24 United States. 

Æ 


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