WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) praised the Senate Wednesday for passing bipartisan opioid legislation that includes their bipartisan Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act. The act “will stop criminal drug traffickers in countries like China from shipping synthetic opioids like fentanyl into the United States through the Postal Service,” according to a press release from Portman’s office.

The measure passed the Senate by a vote of 98-1 and will now be sent to the president’s desk to signed into law.

“Passing the STOP Act is a victory in our efforts to combat the opioid crisis and stop the influx of cheap, deadly synthetic drugs like fentanyl,” said Portman. “By closing the loophole in our international mail system that drug traffickers have exploited to ship fentanyl into the U.S., we can help law enforcement keep this poison out of our communities and ensure those gripped by addiction the chance to live up to their God-given potential. I’ve worked for more than two years to get the STOP Act signed into law, so this is a proud day. I want to thank Senator Klobuchar for her leadership on this issue. I thank the president for his support of the STOP Act, and I’m proud that he will now get to sign it into law.”

“In Minnesota and across the country, no place has been immune from the devastating effects of opioid abuse,” said Klobuchar. “The STOP Act, which just passed the Senate, will help ensure that synthetic drugs aren’t transported from overseas through our postal system. Passing this bipartisan legislation will help stop these synthetic drugs from coming across our borders from foreign countries.”