In 2022, fentanyl or fentanyl analogs were used in around 81% of unintentional drug overdoses in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Now, U.S. Sen. Brown has introduced legislation to stop the flow of fentanyl into the country by providing resources to the southwest border through "The Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act."

According to Brown's office, the bill aims to increase staffing and technology to detect illicit drugs and other contraband being smuggled through ports of entry or at illegal crossings at the border.

"This bill will help ensure that our border patrol agents and law enforcement have the tools they need to stop deadly drugs like fentanyl from coming into our country through our border with Mexico," Brown said. "The fentanyl crisis has devastated too many families across Ohio – and we need to do everything we can to stop this deadly drug from entering our communities."

More specifically, the bill would enable U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to hire more officers and border patrol agents to increase capacity to stop smuggling. Non-Intrusive Inspection systems, which scan vehicles and cargo to provide images of their interiors, would also be purchased.

Additionally, the bill would create an inspection program to increase seizure of firearms, which Mexican cartels frequently purchase in the United States and smuggle into Mexico to support their fentanyl production operations and other violent criminal enterprises, according to Brown's office.

The bill is cosponsored by Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Mark Warner (D-VA).