U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) recently co-sponsored the Stopping Online Confusion for Investigative Agencies and Law Enforcement by Maintaining Evidence Determined Interparty Arrangements (SOCIAL MEDIA) Act to combat the sale of fentanyl and other illicit drugs on social media platforms. The SOCIAL MEDIA Act, introduced by U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), will allow for better law enforcement coordination in criminal cases with social media platforms by requiring 24/7 call centers for fielding information requests with clear guidelines for agencies to best expedite the process. This bill will direct the Federal Trade Commission to develop reporting metrics for social media platforms to promote enhanced data collection, transparency and uniformity in data presented to better compare platform-to-platform on their efforts to combat illegal drug sales. The SOCIAL MEDIA Act has been endorsed by the National Sheriffs’ Association, the Partnership for Safe Medicine and the Major County Sheriffs of America.

“Social media is playing a role in the opioid epidemic by making it easier for young people to get their hands on dangerous and illicit drugs like fentanyl–it is time we put a stop to it,” said Shaheen. “Social media companies have a responsibility to report illicit drug activity happening on their platforms and our bipartisan legislation will help ensure that happens while also providing law enforcement with the tools they need to intervene.

“Fentanyl and other deadly drugs are making their way to Floridians’ doorsteps, not only through the dark web and drug dealers on the streets, but now through social media apps that our kids have access to,” said Senator Scott. “I have heard too many heartbreaking stories from families across my state about how they lost their child to an overdose of a drug bought through social media. Today, we say enough is enough. It is time to stop the drug dealers and social media platforms that are complicit in the death of the hundreds of thousands of lives we have lost to overdose. I am proud to stand with law enforcement and families today and introduce my SOCIAL MEDIA Act to finally hold folks accountable and hopefully prevent the loss of another life. I thank the National Sheriffs’ Association, the Partnership for Safe Medicine, and the Major County Sheriffs of America for their support. Additionally, I want to thank Senator Jeanne Shaheen for joining me on this bipartisan issue and standing up against this epidemic that has taken too many far too soon.”

Earlier this year, Senators Shaheen, Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), hosted Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, for a discussion on the federal government’s ongoing response to the substance use disorder epidemic. The Senators addressed the responsibility that big tech companies must take in response to drug traffickers using their platforms to target young people through social media. In September, Shaheen delivered opening remarks at the White House’s National Recovery Month Summit, hosted by the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

As a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Shaheen has fought to deliver resources to combat the substance use disorder crisis in New Hampshire. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 funding legislation that was signed into law provided $1.5 billion in State Opioid Response (SOR) grant funding, as well as the continuation of a 15 percent set-aside that Shaheen fought to secure in 2018 for hard-hit states like New Hampshire. Shaheen also included a key provision from the 2019 version of her legislation – the Turn the Tide Act- to provide flexibility for treatment providers to use SOR grant dollars to help patients suffering from meth and cocaine dependency, in addition to opioid use disorders. Shaheen wrote the provision in response to discussions with New Hampshire treatment providers. Over the past four years, New Hampshire has received approximately $92 million from these grants to combat the opioid epidemic in the state. In FY 2022 government funding legislation, Shaheen secured $572.5 million to help communities and first responders respond to substance misuse crises, including opioid addiction and drug trafficking. This also includes $415 million for Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) grants, which support programs like drug, mental health and veteran treatment courts and substance use disorder treatment programs administered by state and local correctional facilities.

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