By Sen. Michael Webber
9th District
Fentanyl trafficking has grown exponentially over the past few years and it’s having deadly consequences.
This spring, the International Journal of Drug Policy reported more than 115 million pills containing illicit fentanyl were seized by law enforcement agencies across the United States in 2023. That is a dramatic increase from the more than 71 million pills confiscated in 2022 and nearly quadruple the roughly 50,000 seized just six years ago in 2017.
About 100 times more potent than morphine, just two milligrams of fentanyl are a fatal dose. The synthetic drug is easily mixed with other drugs, helping traffickers make their illicit products cheaper, more powerful, more addictive and more dangerous.
We don’t have to look very far to see the heartbreaking consequences of this growing national crisis. Our local news headlines are broadcasting warnings on a regular basis.
For example, last month, the U.S. Department of Justice charged two men in connection to a mass fentanyl poisoning that killed six people in Kalamazoo.
Earlier this year, the County of Macomb Enforcement Team (COMET) executed search warrants in Oakland County, recovering more than 50 grams of fentanyl, other illicit drugs and weapons. A few months earlier, the Drug Enforcement Administration seized 20 kilograms of fentanyl in Oakland County — enough to kill approximately 10 million people.
And the Midland County Department of Public Health reported six overdose deaths in a span of 11 days in April that could be linked to “a bad batch of fentanyl” unleashed in the region.
Although illicit fentanyl is primarily manufactured overseas, according to the DEA, it is mainly being smuggled into the United States across our shared borders with Mexico and Canada.
The drug is invading our neighborhoods and killing our loved ones, and I believe the Legislature has a duty to work toward commonsense solutions to help save lives.
That is why I sponsored Senate Bill 726, which would increase penalties for the creation, production and distribution of fentanyl and other classified substances as part of a larger Strong Borders, Safe Communities plan introduced by Senate Republicans focused on protecting Michiganders from national border security issues.
This plan was introduced in the Senate more than 125 days before the Legislature adjourned for the summer on June 27. Sadly, Democrats in the majority and, therefore, in control of the Senate’s agenda, have yet to bring these bills up for discussion or debate in committee.
Combating fentanyl should not be a partisan issue.
My fellow lawmakers should make this issue a priority and begin working together to find solutions before another 100 days go by and another 15,000 lives are lost.
Sen. Michael Webber, R-Rochester Hills, represents Michigan’s 9th Senate District. This op-ed was published by The Detroit News on July 10, 2024.