Combating the Opioid Epidemic Through Forensic Drug Testing Act of 2017

Combating the Opioid Epidemic Through Forensic Drug Testing Act of 2017

This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance to award grants to states to address the distribution, sale, and use of heroin, fentanyl, and associated synthetic drugs.

Grants may be used to:

• reimburse forensic science laboratories and medical examiner and coroner offices for efforts to address and prevent testing backlogs and efforts to conduct autopsies and toxicology testing related to drug overdose deaths;
• reimburse law enforcement agencies for equipment to identify or detect heroin, fentanyl, and associated synthetic drugs;
• investigate, arrest, and prosecute distributors or sellers; and
• support health department services for users.