To amend the Controlled Substances Act to provide for the regulation of critical parts of tableting machines and encapsulating machines, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The STOPP Act regulates the parts used to make pill-making machines, which drug traffickers use to create counterfeit pills laced with deadly fentanyl. The bill requires manufacturers and dealers of these machines and parts to register with the federal government, serialize their products, and maintain detailed records of all transactions.
Who Benefits and How
- Law enforcement agencies gain new tools to track and trace pill press equipment used in illicit drug manufacturing
- The general public benefits from reduced availability of counterfeit pills that cause overdose deaths
- Legitimate pharmaceutical manufacturers with existing compliance infrastructure face minimal new burdens
Who Bears the Burden and How
- Manufacturers and dealers of tableting/encapsulating machines must register annually with the Attorney General, pay fees, serialize all products, and maintain 10-year records
- Importers and exporters of pill press equipment face new registration, reporting, and inspection requirements
- Current owners of unregistered pill presses must register, serialize, or dispose of their machines within 180 days
Key Provisions
- Creates the National Pill Press Registry to track all tableting and encapsulating machines
- Requires permanent serial numbers on all pill press machines and critical parts
- Establishes criminal penalties for possessing, altering, or dealing in unregistered/unserialized equipment
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Regulates critical parts of tableting machines and encapsulating machines (pill presses) to combat the illicit manufacture of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and other controlled substances
Key Policy Areas
Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, Public Health, Trade
Primary Purpose
Regulates critical parts of tableting machines and encapsulating machines (pill presses) to combat the illicit manufacture of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and other controlled substances
Policy Domains
STOPP Act - Pill Press Equipment Regulation
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Law enforcement agencies
- DEA
- General public at risk of fentanyl poisoning
- Legitimate pharmaceutical manufacturers
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Tableting machine manufacturers
- Tableting machine dealers and distributors
- Pill press equipment importers and exporters
- Current unregistered pill press owners
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Stansbury (for herself, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Pettersen, Ms. Salinas, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Current legitimate pill press owners requiring compliance, Equipment distributors and resellers, Equipment owners requiring location registration
Positive-direction: Large pharmaceutical companies with existing compliance programs
Negative-direction: Current legitimate pill press owners requiring compliance, Equipment distributors and resellers, Equipment owners requiring location registration, Manufacturers of tableting and encapsulating machine parts, Pharmaceutical equipment suppliers, Pill press equipment dealers and distributors, Pill press equipment distributors, Pill press equipment manufacturers, Small pill press manufacturers and assemblers, Tableting and encapsulating machine manufacturers, Tableting machine industry participants, Tableting machine manufacturers, Unregistered pill press owners, Wholesale and retail pill press dealers
Equipment importers and exporters, International equipment exporters, International equipment importers
Department of Justice, Department of Justice enforcement division, Federal prosecutors
Positive-direction: Department of Justice enforcement division, Federal prosecutors
Negative-direction: Department of Justice
Drug Enforcement Administration, Law enforcement agencies
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_attorney_general"
- → Attorney General of the United States (DOJ)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Any of the following integral parts when designed primarily for use in a tableting or encapsulating machine: Press punch, Die system, Press turret, Hopper, Compression roller, Discharge chute, Vacuum system, Capsule feeding unit, Automatic feeding unit, or any other item identified by Attorney General regulation
The production or assembly of a tableting machine, encapsulating machine, or critical part thereof
To engage in the business of selling or distributing tableting machines, encapsulating machines, or critical parts thereof at wholesale or retail
To deliver a tableting machine, encapsulating machine, or critical part thereof
The actual, constructive, or attempted transfer of a tableting machine, encapsulating machine, or critical part thereof, whether or not there exists an agency relationship
To cause such serious damage to a tableting machine, encapsulating machine, or critical part thereof so that it can no longer be used for its intended purpose
Devoting time, attention, and labor to dealing tableting machines, encapsulating machines, or critical parts as a regular trade or business to predominantly earn a profit through the repetitive purchase and resale
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology