Legislation led by U.S. Reps. Bob Latta (R-OH) and Morgan Griffith (R-VA) to halt the flow of fentanyl into the country has passed in the House.
The legislation, the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of Fentanyl Act, would make the temporary class-wide scheduling order for fentanyl-related substances permanent. The move would permanently schedule fentanyl as a Class I narcotic, allowing law enforcement to take further action while keeping the drug eligible for further research.
“While making the scheduling of fentanyl-related substances permanent to get this crisis under control, this bill does not impede research into fentanyl-related substances, nor does it restrict access to fentanyl for those who rely on it for medicinal purposes,” Latta said.
In 2018, fentanyl and fentanyl analogues were temporarily put on the Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. That order originally lasted two years and has been renewed by Congress multiple times. The current extension expires on March 31. The HALT Fentanyl Act would make that schedule change permanent. Law makers said the bill would allow practitioners to continue to research the drugs and its analogues, as well as prescribe
“The HALT Fentanyl Act highlights House Republicans’ commitment to tackling deadly fentanyl-related substances and saving lives,” Griffith said. “I appreciate my dedicated colleague Rep. Bob Latta for his contributions to advance this critical legislation. The American people deserve nothing less than safe neighborhoods and safe streets.”