100,000 Dead of drugs from Mexico, China, U.S. Labs …. Biden: Give them crack pipes

About 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses between May 2020 and April 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s a record high for a single year and a 30% jump over the previous year.

“COVID-19 exacerbated many issues that impact mental health and substance use, including isolation, anxiety, uncertainty … loss of employment, stress caused by financial, food, housing or child/family care instabilities and more,” Jenny Burke, a senior director at the NSC, told VOA in an email. “Trauma increases risk for developing mental health issues and substance use disorders.”

Pipe Act

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduced the bipartisan Preventing Illicit Paraphernalia for Exchange Systems (PIPES) Act to prohibit federal funding from being used to purchase drug paraphernalia, such as crack pipes or needles for illicit drugs, that can exacerbate substance use disorder.  

“Everyone knows someone who has struggled with addiction, and unfortunately, many have lost a loved one from the disease,” Rubio said. “Addiction is crippling, not only for the individual, but also for the family and communities throughout our country. We need to do more, but sending drug paraphernalia to addicts is not the answer.” 

“Every American and West Virginian has been impacted by the drug epidemic that killed over 101,000 Americans from April 2020 to April 2021,” Manchin said. “While this is a heartbreaking issue that must be fully addressed by the federal government, using taxpayer funds to buy paraphernalia for those struggling with substance use disorder is not the solution. Our bipartisan PIPES Act will ensure that American Rescue Plan funds can’t be used to buy illicit drug paraphernalia, and I look forward to passing legislation to address this issue quickly.”

The PIPES Act:

• Maintains the bipartisan, bicameral precedent that prohibits federal funding from being used to purchase needles or syringes for the injection of any illegal drug, unless there is a significant risk of hepatitis infection or HIV outbreak due to injection drug use.
• Clarifies that federal funds cannot be used to “procure, supply, or distribute pipes, cylindrical objects, or other paraphernalia that can be used to smoke, inhale or ingest narcotics.”
• Clearly applies these restrictions to American Rescue Plan funding, in accordance to annual Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations language.

Rubio efforts to end illicit drug use: 

• On February 10, 2022, Rubio introduced the Cutting Rampant Access to Crack Kits (CRACK) Act. The bill would amend Section 2706 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-2) to prohibit any funds from directly or indirectly purchasing, supplying, or distributing crack pipes or similar drug paraphernalia. 
• On December 16, 2021, Rubio introduced the Domain Reform for Unlawful Drug Sellers (DRUGS) Act (S. 3399) to provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to suspend websites run by criminal networks that traffic fentanyl, counterfeit medications, and other illegal drugs. 
• On December 21, 2020, Rubio voted to pass the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (H.R. 133), which appropriated $4 billion – an $85 million increase – to prevent opioid addiction, help those struggling to receive treatment, find alternative pain medications, meet workforce needs, and improve behavioral health.
• On October 3, 2018, Rubio voted to pass the Senate’s Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act (P.L. 115-271), which includedtwo Rubio provisions: the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act and the Sober Home Fraud Detection Act. 

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduced the bipartisan Preventing Illicit Paraphernalia for Exchange Systems (PIPES) Act to prohibit federal funding from being used to purchase drug paraphernalia, such as crack pipes or needles for illicit drugs, that can exacerbate substance use disorder.  

“Everyone knows someone who has struggled with addiction, and unfortunately, many have lost a loved one from the disease,” Rubio said. “Addiction is crippling, not only for the individual, but also for the family and communities throughout our country. We need to do more, but sending drug paraphernalia to addicts is not the answer.” 

“Every American and West Virginian has been impacted by the drug epidemic that killed over 101,000 Americans from April 2020 to April 2021,” Manchin said. “While this is a heartbreaking issue that must be fully addressed by the federal government, using taxpayer funds to buy paraphernalia for those struggling with substance use disorder is not the solution. Our bipartisan PIPES Act will ensure that American Rescue Plan funds can’t be used to buy illicit drug paraphernalia, and I look forward to passing legislation to address this issue quickly.”

The PIPES Act:

• Maintains the bipartisan, bicameral precedent that prohibits federal funding from being used to purchase needles or syringes for the injection of any illegal drug, unless there is a significant risk of hepatitis infection or HIV outbreak due to injection drug use.
• Clarifies that federal funds cannot be used to “procure, supply, or distribute pipes, cylindrical objects, or other paraphernalia that can be used to smoke, inhale or ingest narcotics.”
• Clearly applies these restrictions to American Rescue Plan funding, in accordance to annual Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations language.

Rubio efforts to end illicit drug use: 

• On February 10, 2022, Rubio introduced the Cutting Rampant Access to Crack Kits (CRACK) Act. The bill would amend Section 2706 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-2) to prohibit any funds from directly or indirectly purchasing, supplying, or distributing crack pipes or similar drug paraphernalia. 
• On December 16, 2021, Rubio introduced the Domain Reform for Unlawful Drug Sellers (DRUGS) Act (S. 3399) to provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to suspend websites run by criminal networks that traffic fentanyl, counterfeit medications, and other illegal drugs. 
• On December 21, 2020, Rubio voted to pass the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (H.R. 133), which appropriated $4 billion – an $85 million increase – to prevent opioid addiction, help those struggling to receive treatment, find alternative pain medications, meet workforce needs, and improve behavioral health.
• On October 3, 2018, Rubio voted to pass the Senate’s Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act (P.L. 115-271), which includedtwo Rubio provisions: the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act and the Sober Home Fraud Detection Act. 

The US border is a war zone with unprecedented Invasion of illegal immigrants on the border . Almost are seeking a better life far too many drug human traffickers and criminal gangs are making their way in to the country. The results are children and Americans victimized by the traffickers and criminal gangs. But a great alarm is the drug trafficking mainly from Mexico that has resulted in 100,000 deaths in the United States in the last year.

United States is facing a cross-border illicit drug trade that contributes to the premature deaths of tens of thousands of Americans each year. Some 100,000 Americans overdosed and died—the majority due to a synthetic opioid, such as fentanyl or one of its analogues—over the most recent 12-month period for which we have data. These fatalities have increased steeply in the past few years, and early numbers suggest that deaths due to synthetic opioids will have hit the highest numbers in history in 2021. The overdose crisis in the United States claims more lives each year than firearms, suicide, homicide, or motor vehicle crashes. This is one of our most-pressing national security, law enforcement, and public health challenges, and we must do more as a nation and a government to protect our most precious resource―American lives. Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking Just released a 75 page report to Congress.

Catch 22 Lockdowns and collateral deaths:

How many lives could’ve been saved from suicide, drug overdose, untreated cancer, heart disease, etc. if liberals hadn’t embraced lockdowns? Lockdowns only reduced COVID deaths by 0.2%. Dr. Ronny Jackson,

Lockdowns are a contributing source as Americans felt dejected lost homes and jobs turn to drugs.

The newly released John Hopkins University report that shows the lockdowns set in place during the Spring of 2020 only reduced COVID mortality by 0.2%. Yet drug deaths, lack of treatment for non Covid emergencies, and suicides skyrocketed.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of June 2020, 13% of Americans reported starting or increasing substance use as a way of coping with stress or emotions related to COVID-19. Overdoses have also spiked since the onset of the pandemic. A reporting system called ODMAP shows that the early months of the pandemic brought an 18% increase nationwide in overdoses compared with those same months in 2019. The trend has continued throughout 2020, according to the American Medical Association, which reported in December that more than 40 U.S. states have seen increases in opioid-related mortality along with ongoing concerns for those with substance use disorders.

Overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans age 18 to 45.

On top of the other risks arising with substance misuse, those with substance use disorders (SUD) are both more likely to develop COVID-19 and experience worse COVID-19 outcomes, including higher risk of hospitalization and mortality (Wang, Q., et al., Molecular Psychiatry, 2020). Full Report.

DEA Issues Public Safety Alert on Sharp Increase in Fake Prescription Pills Containing Fentanyl and Meth

DEA Warns that International and Domestic Criminal Drug Networks are Flooding the United States with Lethal Counterfeit Pills DEA

Drug Enforcement Administration issued a Public Safety Alert warning Americans of the alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. DEA’s Public Safety Alert, the first in six years, seeks to raise public awareness of a significant nationwide surge in counterfeit pills that are mass-produced by criminal drug networks in labs, deceptively marketed as legitimate prescription pills, and are killing unsuspecting Americans at an unprecedented rate.

These counterfeit pills have been seized by DEA in every U.S. state in unprecedented quantities. More than 9.5 million counterfeit pills were seized so far this year, which is more than the last two years combined. DEA laboratory testing reveals a dramatic rise in the number of counterfeit pills containing at least two milligrams of fentanyl, which is considered a lethal dose. A deadly dose of fentanyl is small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil.   

Counterfeit pills are illegally manufactured by criminal drug networks and are made to look like real prescription opioid medications such as oxycodone (Oxycontin®, Percocet®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), and alprazolam (Xanax®); or stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall®). Fake prescription pills are widely accessible and often sold on social media and e-commerce platforms – making them available to anyone with a smartphone, including minors.

“The United States is facing an unprecedented crisis of overdose deaths fueled by illegally manufactured fentanyl and methamphetamine,” said Anne Milgram, Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. “Counterfeit pills that contain these dangerous and extremely addictive drugs are more lethal and more accessible than ever before. In fact, DEA lab analyses reveal that two out of every five fake pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose. DEA is focusing resources on taking down the violent drug traffickers causing the greatest harm and posing the greatest threat to the safety and health of Americans. Today, we are alerting the public to this danger so that people have the information they need to protect themselves and their children.”

The vast majority of counterfeit pills brought into the United States are produced in Mexico, and China is supplying chemicals for the manufacturing of fentanyl in Mexico.

The drug overdose crisis in the United States is a serious public safety threat with rates currently reaching the highest level in history. Drug traffickers are using fake pills to exploit the opioid crisis and prescription drug misuse in the United States, bringing overdose deaths and violence to American communities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 93,000 people died of a drug overdose in the United States last year. Fentanyl, the synthetic opioid most commonly found in counterfeit pills, is the primary driver of this alarming increase in overdose deaths. Drug poisonings involving methamphetamine, increasingly found to be pressed into counterfeit pills, also continue to rise as illegal pills containing methamphetamine become more widespread.  

Drug trafficking is also inextricably linked to violence. This year alone, DEA seized more than 2700 firearms in connection with drug trafficking investigations – a 30 percent increase since 2019. DEA remains steadfast in its mission to protect our communities, enforce U.S. drug laws, and bring to justice the foreign and domestic criminals sourcing, producing, and distributing illicit drugs, including counterfeit pills.

This alert does not apply to legitimate pharmaceutical medications prescribed by medical professionals and dispensed by licensed pharmacists. The legitimate prescription supply chain is not impacted. Anyone filling a prescription at a licensed pharmacy can be confident that the medications they receive are safe when taken as directed by a medical professional.

The issuance of today’s Public Safety Alert coincides with the launch of DEA’s One Pill Can Kill Public Awareness Campaign to educate the public of the dangers of counterfeit pills. DEA urges all Americans to be vigilant and aware of the dangers of counterfeit pills, and to take only medications prescribed by a medical professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist. DEA warns that pills purchased outside of a licensed pharmacy are illegal, dangerous, and potentially lethal. For more information, visit https://www.dea.gov/onepill or scan the QR code below.