John Faso on Drugs

Enforce against opioid supply abroad & mass-media at home

1. Education--Early intervention models for abusers of opioids are failing. A mass-media public education campaign, funded by the federal government, needs to be undertaken. We must seek to reduce demand for these substances by alerting the public to the extreme dangers inherent in painkiller abuse.
2. Treatment--A restorative model such as "drug courts" offers an option to non-violent offenders who agree to treatment in exchange for reduced sentences.
3. Enforcement--The United States must secure its border with Mexico, the point of trafficking for the majority of heroin. We also need a new strategy for dealing with the source of this drug: Afghanistan and Pakistan. And if an MD is found guilty of defrauding a federal insurance plan, that doctor should be precluded from prescribing pain killers as a condition of medical licensure.

Sponsored bill for combatting epidemic of synthetic drugs.

GovTrack.us Summary: (SITSA): There are more than 400 known types of synthetic--or "artificial"--drugs, which mimic the effects of substances including cocaine and ecstasy. They've largely begun to flood the market in recent years. The bill outlaws 13 different synthetic drugs of the most pernicious varieties. There are more than 400 known types of synthetic--or "artificial"--drugs, which mimic the effects of substances including cocaine and ecstasy. They've largely begun to flood the market in recent years.

GovTrack Pro/Con: Supporters argue the legislation will tackle a growing scourge in a far more timely and immediate manner than what the lagging DEA is usually able to accomplish. Opponents argue the bill would too greatly expand Attorney General Jeff Sessions' ability to criminalize drugs and impose unnecessarily punitive mandatory sentences, according to a letter signed by dozens of organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Human Rights Watch, and NAACP.Opponent's argument to vote NO Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY): The bill would explicitly impose mandatory minimum terms of supervised release which undermines the discretion of judges who are in the best position to make such determinations based on the facts and circumstances of each case.

Legislative outcome: House Bill Passed 239-142-46, Roll Number 268 on June 15, 2018