Young, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Combat the Fentanyl Epidemic, Support Law Enforcement

WASHINGTON –U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) joined colleagues inreintroducingtheHalt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act, which would permanently list fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I substances under theControlled Substances Act. Companion legislation passed the House of Representatives earlier this week.
“Illegally-created fentanyl derivatives are pouring across the southern border and devastating communities in Indiana and across the country.The HALT Fentanyl Actwould permanently classify these deadly drugs as Schedule I substances to ensure their sale and distribution can be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I urge the Senate to pass this important legislation as soon as possible to empower law enforcement with this critical tool in the fight against opioids,”said Senator Young.
Fentanyl is a scheduled substance, but Mexican drug cartels make small chemical tweaks to fentanyl to produce drugs—fentanyl-related substances—with similar dangerous effects that are not controlled.
In response to this crisis, the DEA exercised its authority to temporarily classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I under theControlled Substances Act. That temporary scheduling order will expire on March 31, 2025, if Congress does not act.
Under theHALT Fentanyl Act, fentanyl-related substances would remain Schedule I. In addition, the bill clarifies that the mandatory minimum penalties that apply to fentanyl also apply to the trafficking of fentanyl-related substances.
In addition to Senator Young, Senators John Kennedy (R-La.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) also introduced the legislation.
Senator Young helped lead theHALT Fentanyl Actin 2023.
Full legislative text is availablehere.
Background: