As CDC reports 279% surge in fentanyl deaths, Border Security Alliance renews call for FDA to enforce ban on illicit vapes flooding our borders

PHOENIX – Border Security Alliance President Jobe Dickinson issued the following statement in response to newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing a 279% spike in fentanyl deaths from 2016 to 2021:

"New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention underscores the devastating toll that fentanyl is having on families, communities, and our country. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has already seized enough fentanyl this fiscal year to kill more than three billion people and hundreds more pounds of the deadly drug are pouring over the border every day. 

"The threat is becoming even greater as illicit, disposable, foreign-manufactured vapes in kid-friendly flavors become another delivery system for fentanyl use in the United States. The candy flavors in these illicit vapes are targeting minors, putting unwitting young people at risk of a fatal overdose. This tragedy will only worsen with the impending expiration of Title 42 and lack of a plan from Washington to address the border crisis. The CDC’s report should be a clear wake up call to the FDA to enforce the ban on illicit disposable flavored vapes that are easily laced with drugs like fentanyl."