Significant steps to forward, steps forward and combating the Opioid Epidemic in america. Today the subcommittee will examine important issue the scourge of synthetic drugs in the United States. Simply put synthetic drugs are a prime example of how criminals can stay one step ahead of Law Enforcement. Today parents have to worry not only about a childs exposure to Illegal Drugs but about synthetic drugs many of which are produced and marketed directly at children and young adults. Synthetic cannabinoids with names like spice k. Tour scooby snacks, and brightly packaging that make them attractive to teenager marketed and sold as legal alternatives to marijuana cocaine and heroin. Does young people believe them to be safe legal alternatives. However they are been deadly. Thats because these drugs while designed to mimic the effects of certain Illegal Drugs often contain a panoply of additional chemicals which can cause increased heart. Psychosis and death. The professor who is widely credited with synthesizing cannabinoids for Research Purposes of Clemson University has said these things are dangerous. Anybody who uses them as playing russian roulette. There are profound psychological effects. We never intended them for human consumption. Indeed they are often labeled as not for human consumption but everyone the manufacturer seller and the user knows they are intended to be consumed. Many states have have banned the substance is biting them to their controlled substance get shows which has resulted in patchwork of state laws. Congress congress has also legislatively scheduled some of these substances most recently in 2012 however the problem is as soon as the substance is scheduled for the process begins to schedule a substance the manufactures of these illicit drugs simply change a single atom in the substance is different in can never be scheduled a substance. Chemical makeup has been altered and that may have the same effect on the body its no longer the same chemical. The process has been shortcircuited. However the need for federal response remains clear since most synthetic tracks are manufactured and imported overseas especially from china. In just a month in 2014 synthetic or one of poisoned more than 200 people in my home state of colorado and killed at least one. The arapahoe District Attorney described people trying to cut their own heads off and set themselves on fire after using synthetic drugs. In my state these drugs have been marketed as synthetic marijuana and sold at tobacco shops and Convenience Stores often for a profit of 30 or more. It is big business in these manufactures are profiting off of our misery. I think the witnesses for appearing before the separate exam or to their participation. I now recognize the Ranking Member of the full committee mr. Conyers of michigan for his Opening Statement. Enqueue mr. Chairman and i welcome the witnesses, look forward to an important discussion. We are going to talk about synthetic drugs, a problem that is primarily affecting adolescents and young adults. I wish to welcome our witnesses and express my gratitude to them for taking time to come here to offer their personal experiences and insight. The abuse of synthetic drugs or designer drugs has been recognized as far back as the 1980s. Producers of these drugs work continuously to create a legal alternative to controlled substances like marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy lsd and opioids. They produce similar kinds of highs. Sometimes packaged in small packets with images of cartoon characters printed on them and names like k2 spice, vanilla sky and scooby snacks, these products are marketed as a harmless good time, and unsuspecting teenagers and young adults who are the primary consumers of these products can purchase socalled synthetic merra juana or bath salts at gas stations, Convenience Stores, novelty shops and over the internet or further reinforcing the erroneous belief that these products are safe. However, in many cases, there are more potent and more hazardous than the controlled substances that they are meant to imitate. The chemical used to create synthetic drugs can be toxic to the human body producing extreme paranoia, violent behavior, aggression, hallucinations seizure is and even death. Synthetic drugs used has even been linked to heart attacks, psychosis and suicide. Instead of attending their childs Football Game or graduation are helping them complete college applications, parents find themselves in hospital rooms praying there teenager wakes from a coma or in an emergency hoping their child will regain their sanity and returned to college. There are mechanisms in current law that allow for these drugs to be a value weighted and controlled on a casebycase basis. For instance, the dea has the ability to temporarily placed substances on schedule one when it is necessary avoid an eminent hazard to Public Safety however the dea is finding it difficult to keep pace with the development and production of new substances that are not currently illegal. Prosecutors have an additional tool, the analogue enforcement act of 1986 to prosecute those who produce synthetic drugs. This legislation serves as a method of criminalizing synthetic drugs without having to ban them individually. We in Congress Need to learn more about these drugs and thats why this hearing is important. And consider if legislation is needed. We must be careful to craft an appropriate response that does not over criminalizing or over penalized. I think our witnesses for their time and the benefit of their expertise. I look forward to a discussion of this troubling issue. I think the chairman and i yield back. Thank you mr. Conyers. I would now like to recognize the full Committee Chairman mr. Goodlatte of virginia for his Opening Statement. Thank you mr. Chairman. Im pleased to be here as the Judiciary Committee continues his efforts to protect the American People from the real and growing danger of drug abuse last weeks committee moved five bills to the house that will help Law Enforcement and the Treatment Community address the Opioid Epidemic so this hearing is very timely. I want to focus my remarks today on the threat of synthetic opioids which present a critical threat to the American People. As we all know the principle driver of the Opioid Epidemic in this nation has been the overabundance of prescription pain pills in the hands of consumers, especially opioids like oxycodone and hydrocodone. Americas addiction to opioids have of course been noticed in the criminal underworld and malefactors have taken big steps to profit off americas pain. One way they have done this is through of synthetic opioids including counterfeit description medications laced with fentanyl and fentanyl derivatives. For those whove been paying attention fentanyl is an Opioid Pain Medication which can be 100 times more powerful than morphine. To put that into perspective carawan is typically three times as powerful as morphine. Fenton l. Is intended to be used to treat extreme pain associated with late stage cancer and other Significant Health problems. It is not intended to be used recreationally yet it is and with the rise of synthetic opioids its increasingly being used unknowingly. Often drug traffickers will cut heroin with fentanyl to produce a more potent high. That is led to a rash of deaths across the country because of fentanyls potency. In recent legislation is committing a good language to provide for sentencing enhancement for anyone who trafficks and heroin cut with fentanyl. Theres that to synthetic opioids fentanyl is also widely used. The profit margin is shocking. Less than a milligram of fentanyl can be legal. That means a kilogram of fentanyl can generate enormous profits for the trafficker, sometimes upward upwards of a million dollars. So we have a problem. Between 20132014 the. Of Drug Overdose deaths in synthetic opioids nearly double. According to the centers for Disease Control and prevention a substantial portion of this increase appears to be related to the availability of the list of fentanyl. According to the dea 2015 National Drug threat assessment mexico is the primary source country were illicitly produce fentanyl in the United States however pharmaceutical fentanyl has also been diverted from that legitimate supply chain and into the illicit market. Some derivatives and analogs analogs of clinton now are manufactured in china and shipped to the United States. Drug traffickers and associated profiteers are continuously developing new ways to exploit the american market. Evidence of new opioid drugs some more powerful than fentanyl are turning up on the american street corners. For example a synthetic opioid potentially 100 times more powerful than fentanyl which line for smith called the next deadly synthetic street drug. We are under siege. Its time for congress to act in this hearing represents a great first step or they think the witnesses for their testimony look forward to their response to our questions. I thank the chair and without without objection members Opening Statements will be made part of the record. I recognize chairman goodlatte for five minutes, im sorry. We have a various distinguished panel today. I will begin by swearing in our witnesses before excusing them. If youd all please rise. Raise your right hand. Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give us the truth the whole whole truth of nothing but the truth so help you god . You may be seated area let the record reflect all of the witnesses responded in the affirmative. Mr. Lewis milione. Special agent Louis Milione is a deputy minister to finance its Drug EnforcementAdministration Office of Version Control where he serves as october 2015. Mr. Milione axes the prince of asa to the dea demands recount matters pertaining to the regulation of programs relating to the diversion of legally produce controlled substances and listed chemicals. Mr. Milione began his career with Drug Enforcement administration in 1987 and holds a bachelor of arts from Villanova University and a law degree from Rutgers University school of law. Officer William Smith junior is an officer with the washington d. C. Metropolitan police department. He has over over 20 is a blunt force and experience much of which is focused on narcotics. Mr. Devin eckhardt is the father of Connor Eckhardt who died tragically after smoking synthetic marijuana great mr. Sadberry is a founder of the counter project and as is a dressy night nations to raise awareness globally about the dangers of synthetic drug use. Joins us today along with his wife for ronica in continuation of that effort. Mr. David nichols currently serves as an adjunct professor of chemical biology and medicinal chemistry at the university of art caroline in hill. He has been recognized as a distinguished or faster emeritus at Purdue University and adjunct professor of toxicology at india needs proceed day. A ph. D. And medicinal chemistry from the university by what and was a postdoctoral fellow in pharmacology at the university of iowa. We will now proceed. I will now recognize each of the witnesses for their Opening Statement which will be limited to five minutes. Mr. Milione pitts thank you congressman buck and establishment of the committee. Synthetic cannabinoids deadly fentanyl analogues in other toxic synthetics of tenses are flooding the United States putting unsuspecting users at risk of death and permanent injury. Dea seizes drug threat second only to the opioid scourge devastating our country could Synthetic Cannabinoids in announcer unpredictable and tested substances in color for mark packaging and marketed to our youth is illegal high. Emergency room doctors for porto bide range of side effects including brain damage cardiac address kidney failure and extreme psychosis. Synthetic cannabinoids in announcer sold openly openly openly in gas stations stations Convenience Stores had shops and over the internet. Fentanyl analogs are fast growing particularly troubling part of the synthetic drug threat. Here you have the dangers convergence of a synthetic drug for this with this countrys Opioid Epidemic. We have substances many times more potent than heroin that are being sold as heroin knicks with hurll and our press and the pope this prescription drugs. Fentanyl analogs are so deadly miniscule amounts can kill an unsuspecting user. They can be heard from asia over the internet and delivered directly to your home. Because of the massive profit potential cartel are purchasing fentanyl from Asia Shipping it to mexico mixing with other substances in distributing it throughout the United States. For all of us in the dea for all of her great federal state and local Law Enforcement partners broke dedicated prosecutors around this country our primary mission is to protect the public in trying to protect the public from the synthetic drug threat here is the most frustrating part. The foreignbased manufactures into the thick pied pipers of this poison often operate with impunity because they exploit loopholes in the analogue provisions of the controlled substances act and capitalize on the lengthy resource intensive reactive process required to schedule either permanently or temporarily these dangerous substances. As we speak from help chemists in Foreign Countries are tweaking the molecular structural structure keeping the same properties that the controlled substance helping the manufactures and distributors avoid criminal exposure because of the altered molecular structure. We see these newlycreated synthetic drugs by the dozens every year. Important to remember these new dangerous substances get piled on top of the hundreds we have determined need to be controlled based on overdoses, deaths and Law Enforcement encounters. Dea moves to temporary schedule as many of us growing that luck as quickly as we can fit for each substance that process averages between three and four months. Once temporarily scheduled we seek hhs evaluation for permit scheduling a process that can take several years for each substance. Despite her best efforts to you cannot control the substances at a pace that will prevent additional overdoses and death. We at the dea are grateful for all the legislative and scheduling tools congress has given us over the years that we have had success investigating prosecuting and convicting the traffickers of these dangerous substances using the controlled substances act when synthetic drugs are placed in schedule one. We have also used the analogue act for sentence is not placed in schedule one however todays synthetic drug crisis has outgrown the analogue act. 30 years ago when the act was passed by congress there were favre fewer analogue users and fewer traffickers than exist today. Trafficking networks that existed in 1986 were significantly less sophisticated in the Transnational Networks really a pretty poor do over the weekend working with the tools you have given given us to bring a substances under control and protect the public that we are many steps behind the traffickers and need your help. In the short term assisting but it could provide dea and her lawn for some partners that the country maybe early that placing the hunters of substances we determine to be dangers and to schedule one. This would allow us to keep the synthetic drugs out of the country get them off the shelves of Retail Stores and bring to justice not the user population that the egregious domestic and foreign traffickers preying on our youth exploiting human frailty forprofit in flooding our country with these dangerous drugs. In the longterm we would welcome an minute to the controlled substances analogue act that would align the act with current threat and or perhaps other tools that would allow us to more quickly bring these drugs under control. We stand ready to work with you to provide any assistance we can address any of your concerns. One concern thats been raised at that placing hundreds of dangerous synthetic drugs and to schedule one will impede legitimate scientific research. Here are several facts that may inform that concern. Dea is never rejected a proposal for bona fide research of any schedule one substance. Currently there are 469 approved schedule when researchers and many of multiple approved protocols to study different schedule one substance is. In the last year is take an average of 32 days for dea to approve one application. Once the researcher has received approval a little more than four weeks. I would argue these are reasonable requirements on balance with her duty to protect the public from these highly unstable and often dea