WASHINGTON – Fentanyl is one step closer to being permanently on the Schedule I list. On Thursday the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the HALT Fentanyl Act, which would permanently classify fentanyl and its analogs as Schedule I drugs—the highest classification for substances with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
Currently, fentanyl-related substances are temporarily listed as Schedule I, but that designation is set to expire on March 31.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a similar measure earlier this month. Now, Senate Majority Leader John Thune must decide whether to bring the Senate’s version to a vote, send it back to the House, or take up the House-passed bill, according to The Washington Times.
Earlier this month, a Minnesota mother testified in favor of the HALT Fentanyl Act before the Senate Judiciary Committee. You can read that story here.
The bill does not affect pharmaceutical fentanyl, which remains a Schedule II drug with approved medical uses. However, it would close the “analogues loophole,” which allows traffickers to tweak fentanyl’s chemical makeup to skirt legal restrictions.
Other Schedule I drugs under the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) include heroin, LSD, marijuana, ecstasy, and peyote.
