Latest news with #HALT)FentanylAct
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
House passes HALT Fentanyl Act, Kansas lawmakers react
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act on Thursday by a vote of 312-108. H.R. 27 would classify fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule I drug. A Schedule I drug, as defined by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, is a drug with no accepted medical use and a high risk for addiction. Fentanyl is currently listed as a Schedule II drug by the DEA, meaning it has accepted medical use but has a high potential for abuse. In 2018, the DEA issued a temporary scheduling order for fentanyl-related substances, which Congress extended several times. It is set to expire on March 31. If it expires without congressional action, fentanyl-related substances could become street-legal and strip law enforcement of their ability to seize these drugs. The Halt Fentanyl Act would increase the penalties for the possession and sale of fentanyl and provide law enforcement with more resources and tools to combat and deter fentanyl trafficking. Pharmacists rally at Kansas Statehouse for medication pricing transparency In 2023, more than 107,000 people died of a drug overdose, and nearly 75,000 of those deaths were from synthetic opioids, which are primarily comprised of illicit fentanyl or fentanyl-related substances. 'Nearly 150 Americans die each day due to fentanyl overdoses,' said Rep. Tracey Mann. 'This is not normal, and it is a national security crisis. The country gave Washington, D.C. a mandate to seriously address the drug trafficking happening at our southern border. Today, House Republicans voted to deliver on that mandate by increasing penalties for possessing and selling fentanyl, giving law enforcement the correct tools to combat this deadly drug trade, and holding criminals accountable for the deadly toll they've inflicted on our nation. The cartels and fentanyl traffickers need to know that American lives are not up for grabs.' 'As Kansas' top law enforcement official for more than a decade, I saw firsthand the devastation that fentanyl wreaks on our communities,' Rep. Derek Schmidt said. 'Today's passage of the HALT Fentanyl Act is a strong step toward crippling drug peddlers' ability to mass manufacture and distribute these deadly substances. This legislation will be a meaningful step in our fight against the opioid crisis and I encourage my Senate colleagues to swiftly pass it.' H.R. 27 will now go to the U.S. Senate for further consideration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Overdose epidemic': Bipartisan senators target fentanyl classification as lapse approaches
FIRST ON FOX: Multiple U.S. senators are putting their political affiliations aside to reintroduce bipartisan legislation to combat the rise of deadly fentanyl amid a national opioid crisis. Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., are leading nearly a dozen colleagues in reintroducing the Halt Lethal Trafficking (HALT) Fentanyl Act. The legislation would permanently classify fentanyl-related substances in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. This classification is currently temporary. Drug overdoses, largely driven by fentanyl, are the leading cause of death among young adults 18 to 45 years old, and synthetic opioids like fentanyl account for 66% of the total U.S. overdose deaths. Yet, the drug's Schedule I classification is set to expire in just a couple of months, on March 31. The bill will be processed through the Senate Judiciary Committee, which Grassley notably chairs. Given the bill sponsor's role on the committee, the measure is expected to be prioritized and ultimately sent to the floor for full Senate consideration — which many bills are not. Read On The Fox News App Dea Busts Drug Traffickers In Makeshift Nightclub, Takes 50 Illegal Aliens Into Custody "The Biden administration's open border was an invitation to drug cartels smuggling Chinese fentanyl into the U.S., fueling the U.S. overdose epidemic," Cassidy noted in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. "Law enforcement must have the tools necessary to combat this trend. We cannot let this Schedule I classification lapse." From August 2021 to August 2022, nearly 108,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdoses. The surge was primarily fueled by synthetic opioids, including illegal fentanyl, which are largely manufactured in Mexico from raw materials supplied by China. In 2022, there were over 50.6 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills seized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, more than doubling the amount seized in 2021. "Cartels fuel this crisis by marketing their poison as legitimate prescription pills," said Grassley in a statement. "They also avoid regulation by chemically altering the drugs to create powerful fentanyl knock-offs." Congress closed the loophole in 2018 by temporarily classifying fentanyl-related substances under Schedule I. Trump Admin Touts Purging 'Worst' Illegal Immigrant Criminals From Us Streets: 'Working Tirelessly' By making this classification permanent, the HALT Fentanyl Act would ensure law enforcement has the tools they need to combat the deadly drugs, its sponsors say. Heinrich said in a statement that he is working to deliver tools that law enforcement personnel need to keep deadly fentanyl off the streets and out of communities. "Permanently scheduling fentanyl and its analogues will help federal and local law enforcement crack down on illegal trafficking and allow prosecutors to build stronger, longer-term criminal cases," he said. "Our HALT Fentanyl Act will help stop the flow of these deadly drugs into our communities and save lives." The legislation also removes barriers that impede the ability of researchers to conduct studies on fentanyl-related substances and allows for exemptions if such research provides evidence that it would be beneficial for specific substances to be classified differently than Schedule I, like for medical purposes. Cassidy, Grassley and Heinrich were joined by Sens. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Todd Young, R-Ind., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Shelley Moore Capito, Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., John Kennedy R-La., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., in introducing the legislation. "Americans know the carnage of fentanyl all too well. The HALT Fentanyl Act would save lives in Louisiana and across the country by empowering law enforcement to seek justice against dealers who are working with cartels to profit off feeding poison to Americans," Kennedy told Fox News Digital in his own statement. The U.S. House of Representatives previously passed the HALT Fentanyl Act in March article source: 'Overdose epidemic': Bipartisan senators target fentanyl classification as lapse approaches
