Whereas the Drug Enforcement Administration (referred to in this preamble as the DEA ) was— (1) established on July 1, 1973 by Reorganization Plan Numbered 2 of 1973 (87 Stat. 1091; 5 U.S.C. App.); and (2) given the responsibility to coordinate the whole of the Federal Government approach related to the enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act ( 21 U.S.C. 801 et seq. ); Whereas the more than 10,000 men and women of the DEA, including special agents, intelligence research specialists, diversion investigators, program analysts, forensic chemists, attorneys, and administrative support staff, as well as more than 3,000 task force officers, representing hundreds of State and local law enforcement agencies across the country— (1) serve the United States with courage; and (2) are committed to serving and protecting public safety, public health, and the national security of the United States from drug trafficking, drug misuse, and related violence; Whereas, during the 50 years since the establishment of the DEA, the agency has targeted and dismantled transnational drug trafficking organizations and brought to justice the most dangerous and prolific drug trafficking criminals from around the world; Whereas, throughout the 50-year history of the DEA, the agency has continually adapted to evolving trends of major transnational drug cartels, targeting the organizations involved in the manufacturing, trafficking, and distribution of drugs, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, controlled prescription drugs, and other synthetic opioids; Whereas the DEA has deployed enforcement and regulatory tools and strategies to address the threat posed by new synthetic opioid substances, which— (1) mimic the effects of known licit and illicit controlled substances, including fentanyl; (2) are largely responsible for driving the opioid epidemic that claimed the lives of more than 107,000 individuals in the United States in 2021