Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is touting the passage of her legislation to help fight the fentanyl crisis.

The FEND Off Fentanyl Act was passed as part of the national security supplemental.

FEND stands for (Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence) and the legislation  will empower the United States government to go after the producers and traffickers bringing drugs into the country and try to end the opioid epidemic.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin and cannot be detected by taste, smell, or sight when mixed with other drugs.

“Nobody deserves to die because of a drug they may not even know they are taking,” said Gillibrand. “We need to do everything in our power to prevent these needless deaths and get fentanyl off our streets.”

The majority of illegal fentanyl entering the United States is made with Chinese chemicals and manufactured in Mexico.

The bill will allow the government to go after the cartels bringing the drugs in, and those producing and shipping the materials.