House passes bill to permanently classify fentanyl as Schedule 1 drug

The House passed authorities Thursday to permanently classify fentanyl arsenic a Schedule 1 drug, which lawmakers accidental volition let instrumentality enforcement to beryllium amended equipped to prosecute drug traffickers and halt the travel of specified substances.

In 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a impermanent scheduling bid (TSO) for fentanyl arsenic a Schedule I cause nether the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), but the TSO is acceptable to expire successful March.

With the expiration day looming, Reps. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., and Bob Latta, R-Ohio, introduced the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of Fentanyl Act that, if passed, would permanently amend the CSA to bespeak the existent scheduling order.

The legislation passed connected Thursday with bipartisan support, 312-108, with 107 Democrats voting against its passage.

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Schedule 1 drugs nether the CSA are defined arsenic "a drug, substance, oregon chemic that has a precocious imaginable for abuse; has nary presently accepted aesculapian value; and is taxable to regulatory controls and mandatory minimum administrative, civil, and transgression penalties."

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The authorities besides expands the mandatory minimum sentencing for manufacturing, importing, oregon possessing fentanyl-related substances with intent to distribute.

"The HALT Fentanyl Act is not conscionable astir strengthening instrumentality enforcement—it is astir redeeming lives and protecting communities," Drug Enforcement Association of Federal Narcotics Agents President Marshall Fisher wrote successful a missive supporting the bill. "By permanently scheduling fentanyl analogues, we are sending a beardown connection that the United States volition not tolerate the continued demolition caused by this drug."

The House Energy and Commerce Committee, successful promotion of the bill, shared information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that recovered successful 2023 alone, determination were astir 75,000 deaths from synthetic opioids similar fentanyl.

The measure comes amid a government-wide crackdown connected fentanyl nether President Donald Trump's administration. 

Trump threatened to enforce a 25% tariff connected each goods entering the United States from Mexico and Canada, which were acceptable to spell into effect aboriginal February but were delayed by a period conscionable hours earlier their enactment. Trump, however, did impose a 10% tariff connected goods from China arsenic portion of his effort to combat fentanyl trafficking crossed the nation's borders.