TOLEDO -- United States Senator Sherrod Brown was in Toledo on Sunday morning to discuss a bill he has sponsored in the Congress that aims to stiffen the penalties associated with pharmaceutical theft. Senator Brown's bill is called Strengthening and Focusing Enforcement to Deter Organized Stealing and Enhance Safety(SAFE DOSES) Act. The bill would:
-Prohibit stealing, fraudulently obtaining, or trafficking a medical product, such as prescription drugs.
-Increase penalties for "fences", when someone knowingly purchases stolen property and later sells it in the legitimate market.
-Enhance civil penalties for profits made off of stolen products.
-Increases criminal penalties when death occurs as a result of a stolen substance.
-Put pharmaceutical theft under the RICO(Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act.
Sen. Brown made his remarks at the Kahler Pharmacy on Airport Highway in South Toledo. "Drug addicts have shown that they will stop at nothing to feed their addiction-whether by targeting and bribing seniors to get access to painkillers or through the outright theft of these drugs from pharmacies," Mr. Brown said.
The bill enjoys wide bi-partisan support. It has already been passed by the House of Representatives. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill when they reconvene next month.
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