Southern West Virginia News

Yesterday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Marc Fischer Memorial Interdiction of Fentanyl in Postal Mail at Federal Prisons Act. The initiative, led by Congresswoman Carol Miller and supported by Representatives Don Bacon, Barry Moore, Jared Moskowitz, Henry Cuellar, Steven Horsford, Chris Pappas, and Randy Weber, aims to address the rising issue of fentanyl smuggling into federal prisons.

Fentanyl overdoses have surged by 600 percent among inmates over recent years. The bill is named after Marc Fischer, a mailroom supervisor who died from fentanyl exposure at Atwater Federal Prison. This legislation proposes that the Bureau of Prisons develop a digital mail scanning system to combat drug smuggling.

Congresswoman Miller emphasized the importance of tackling the drug crisis: “The fentanyl and opioid crises in America have devastated our communities and will continue to until we combat the flow of drugs throughout the United States." She also highlighted the need for collaboration with President Trump to ensure safety within prison facilities.

Congressman Bacon pointed out the effectiveness of digitizing mail as a preventive measure: “Digitizing mail has been shown to be an effective method for keeping this deadly drug away from inmates and protecting employees who are tasked with processing the mail."