WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden is proposing tougher penalties for fentanyl traffickers and stricter regulations on pill presses and importers. On Wednesday, Biden urged Congress to pass the administration’s “Detect and Defeat” Counter-Fentanyl Proposal. The proposal would permanently regulate fentanyl-related substances as “Schedule I” drugs, increasing the penalties for those who sell and possess the drug. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) currently classifies fentanyl and some of its analogs as Schedule II prescription drugs.
In addition to changing the classification of fentanyl, the proposal also would create a nationwide registry for pill presses and tableting machines. According to the DEA, criminals can use those devices to manufacture illegal drugs. By utilizing molds, stamps, or dies that imitate commonly prescribed controlled substances, pill presses have the potential to generate counterfeit pills that closely resemble legitimate pharmaceutical drugs. This includes pills that may be laced with dangerous substances such as fentanyl.
The Biden administration also says that Detect and Defeat would give border officials more tools to effectively track and target the millions of small-dollar shipments that cross the country’s borders every day.
In a press release, the Biden administration emphasized the widespread impact of the fentanyl crisis: “Far too many Americans have lost children, spouses, and friends to dangerous drugs like illicitly manufactured fentanyl. It is a scourge that has no geographic or political boundaries, wreaking havoc on families and communities in all parts of America.”
Alongside the proposal, Biden issued a new National Security Memorandum directing federal departments to collect more intelligence to stop the production and distribution of illicit fentanyl. The memorandum also encourages agencies and departments to better work together in the fight against the opioid crisis.