Congresswoman Kuster at the DEA

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Bedford, NH – Yesterday, Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02), founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Opioid Task Force, visited the New Hampshire Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office, where she met with Jon DeLena, the Associate Special Agent in Charge, to receive an update on DEA drug interdiction efforts in New Hampshire. Kuster also discussed her recent work to extend fentanyl scheduling before it was set to expire on February 6. Last week, Kuster led House passage of legislation that will extend the DEA’s temporary order making fentanyl-related substances Schedule I, a designation reserved for substances that have no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

“Fentanyl is fueling the opioid crisis here in the Granite State and in communities across the country,” said Kuster. “The complexities surrounding fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances demand a thoughtful, balanced approach to protect families in New Hampshire and public health and safety nationwide. Mr. DeLena and the hardworking men and women of the DEA are dedicated to addressing this crisis and decreasing the flow of these hazardous drugs, and I look forward to sharing what I learned today with my colleagues as we continue working to combat the opioid epidemic and support Americans who are struggling with addiction.”  

In 2018, there were 32,000 fentanyl-related deaths, an increase of 14% from 28,000 in 2017. The legislation Kuster helped pass last week, the Temporary Reauthorization and Study of the Emergency Scheduling of Fentanyl Analogues Act, will create a study of Fentanyl-analogues and ensure that the DEA can continue to keep the public safe from these dangerous substances.

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