Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and 10 colleagues in introducing the Halt Lethal Trafficking (HALT) Fentanyl Act to combat illegal fentanyl and keep communities safe.
This legislation makes permanent the temporary classification of fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). This permanent scheduling will give law enforcement the tools they need to keep extremely lethal and dangerous drugs off our streets and ensure scientists can research and better understand these substances. Overdoses, largely driven by fentanyl, are the leading cause of death among young adults 18 to 45 years old. Synthetic opioids like fentanyl account for 66 percent of the total U.S. overdose deaths.
“Far too many Nevadans have lost their lives due to fentanyl, and we need to give law enforcement the tools they need to keep our communities safe,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “My bipartisan bill will keep this deadly drug off our streets, save lives, and make it easier for law enforcement to bring drug traffickers to justice.”
The HALT Fentanyl Act would permanently schedule illicitly produced fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs and streamline the regulatory process for scientists seeking approval from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to research Schedule I substances. The drug’s Schedule I classification is set to expire on March 31, 2025. Senators Cortez Masto, Cassidy, Grassley, and Heinrich were joined by U.S. Senators Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-V.W.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), John Kennedy (R-La.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) in introducing the legislation. A one-pager can be found here and the bill text can be found here.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2023. This was primarily fueled by synthetic opioids, including illegal fentanyl, which are largely manufactured in Mexico from raw materials supplied by China. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the HALT Fentanyl Act in March 2023.
###