Shaheen, Marshall Renew Bipartisan Push to Crack Down on Illegal Drug Activity on Social Media

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) today reintroduced the bipartisan Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act to require social media companies to work with federal agencies to combat the sale and distribution of illicit drugs on their platforms. The Senators’ bipartisan bill would ensure that social media companies turn over basic information relating to illicit online fentanyl activity to federal agencies – empowering state and local law enforcement to use this data to combat fake fentanyl-laced pills and prosecute those who prey on America’s youth. 

“In recent years, we’ve seen the startling role that social media has played in fueling the substance use disorder crisis impacting New Hampshire by making it easier for young people to get their hands on these dangerous drugs. It’s past time that Congress step in to put a stop to it,” said Senator Shaheen. “Our bipartisan bill would hold social media companies accountable to their obligation to keep our kids safe by requiring that they report illicit drug activity on their platforms and work with law enforcement to stop it. Families and communities across this country have dealt with enough heartbreak – as the substance use epidemic evolves, so must our response.” 

The Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act is named after two young men who both tragically lost their lives to fentanyl poisoning after purchasing a pill from social media. It is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Todd Young (R-IN). 

In recent years, organized drug cartels have dominated fentanyl trafficking in the country, and they have set up large, sophisticated distribution networks online via social media. In investigating fentanyl-related poisoning and deaths in teenagers and young adults, law enforcement agencies have found an alarming rate of these deadly pills acquired through platforms like TikTok and Snapchat. Unfortunately, federal agencies do not have the data to intervene and prevent these illegal activities. The Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act would require social media companies and other communication service providers to take on a more active role in working with federal agencies to combat the illegal sale and distribution of drugs on their platforms. This critical data will also empower state and local law enforcement to combat fentanyl, methamphetamine and fake fentanyl-laced pills and prosecute those who prey on America’s youth. Fentanyl remains the most dangerous drug threat facing Americans, and fatal poisonings are the fastest growing among adolescents, teenagers and young adults. After a decrease of deaths involving opioids from an estimated 83,140 in 2023 to 54,743 in 2024, drug-related deaths are rising across the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Shaheen has spearheaded crucial legislation and funding to fight the substance use disorder epidemic, including through her leadership on the pivotal U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, which funds the U.S. Department of Justice. Shaheen recently introduced her bipartisan Keeping Drugs Out of Schools Act to help prevent youth opioid use and overdoses by establishing a new grant program that allows current or former Drug-Free Communities (DFC) coalitions to partner with schools to provide resources educating students about the dangers of synthetic opioids. Shaheen has also helped enact the FENTANYL Results Act to increase global cooperation in the fight against synthetic drug trafficking and the HALT Fentanyl Act to permanently schedules all fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act to ensure law enforcement can keep them off the streets and hold drug traffickers accountable. 

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