Washington—Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-11), in a letter to Post Master General and CEO Louis DeJoy, calls on the United States Postal Service (USPS) to join in the fight to raise awareness and combat opioid abuse through the issuance of a new semipostal stamp, often referred to as a charity stamp. Smucker’s letter comes during National Red Ribbon Week, which is an annual opportunity to promote awareness about drug abuse and prevention. A new semipostal stamp would raise funds for government programs which support prevention and recovery efforts.
Click here to read the letter.
Smucker’s letter notes that tragically over 105,000 Americans, including 4,703 Pennsylvanians, died of drug overdoses in 2022 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Fentanyl has emerged as “the single deadliest drug threat our nation has ever encountered” according to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
“A semipostal charity stamp to help raise funds for federal programs to promote drug and opioid abuse awareness and recovery efforts will bring light to some of our citizens who currently are stuck in the darkness of addiction. I encourage you to use your authority under the Semipostal Authorization Act to issue one next year during National Red Ribbon Week as a sign of USPS’ commitment to delivering for all Americans,” Smucker says in the letter.
Previous semipostal stamps have supported government programs, including the Breast Cancer Research Stamp which has raised $96 million for programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Healing PTSD Stamp has raised $2 million for programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Alzheimer’s Stamp has raised $1.4 million for research efforts at NIH.