In a letter to President Joe Biden, 116 Republican members of Congress, led by U.S. Rep. Bran Steil (WI), pressed the administration to immediately crack down on fentanyl distribution and list the drug as a permanent Schedule 1 substance.
Drug overdoses have been on the rise for years, though their nature has changed with time. Now, fentanyl and related substances are the main drivers of overdose deaths. They have been tied to more than 64,000 American deaths between May 2020 and April 2021. Currently, they represent 64 percent of total U.S. deaths by overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Often added to other drugs, it is a powerful substance in its own right, leaping past both morphine and heroin in terms of potency.
“Fentanyl kills more people age 18-45 than car accidents, suicide, or COVID-19,” Steil said. “We cannot stand by and watch as Americans are being killed by the flood of fentanyl related substances coming into our country. It is past time for President Biden to take seriously the need to secure our border and make permanent fentanyl related substances Schedule 1 classification.”
Currently, fentanyl is listed as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it has been found to have no medical benefit. However, that classification is temporary, with a slated expiration date of Feb. 18, 2022. At that point, government funding for the classification will end.
“Schedule I classification ensures law enforcement has the tools they need to combat this threat and take swift action against traffickers of this deadly drug,” the lawmakers wrote. “We understand the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has requested the required scientific and medical evaluation of the class of drugs by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and they have already begun their 8-factor analysis.”
The lawmakers also accused China of a role in the drug’s spread, given that it is the principal source of agents deemed precursors to its production. However, according to the DEA, the main source of manufacturing for fentanyl has been in other foreign labs, which criminals then smuggle across the southern border. They took the extra step of blaming the administration for failing to secure the border and contributing to the crisis.
“Joe Biden’s open border policies have allowed criminal drug networks to flood the United States more easily with fentanyl, and now enough of this lethal drug has flowed across our Southern Border to kill every American seven times over,” U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, another signatory to the bill, said.