WASHINGTON – Two dozen attorneys general are calling on the U.S. Senate to pass 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 the HALT Fentanyl Act with overwhelming bipartisan support, and now the attorneys general are urging the Senate to follow suit.
The bill would not affect pharmaceutical fentanyl, which remains a Schedule II drug with FDA-approved medical uses. However, it would close what’s known as the “analogues loophole,” which allows traffickers to slightly alter fentanyl’s chemical structure to evade legal restrictions.
Iowa and Virginia attorneys general co-led the letter, which was sent to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. In it, they emphasize the devastating toll fentanyl is taking on American communities.
“The United States is experiencing a cataclysmic surge of overdose deaths due to the lethal amounts of fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances that cross the southwestern land border unimpeded. Each year, fentanyl and fentanyl analogues kill Americans at a rate that rivals World War II or the Civil War. In 2023, drug overdoses killed more than 100,000 Americans, and synthetic opioids like fentanyl caused 69% of those overdose deaths.4 The HALT Fentanyl Act will provide permanent tools to help staunch the damage caused by fentanyl analogues’ incursion into the United States,” the letter reads.
Other drugs classified as Schedule I by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) include heroin, LSD, marijuana, ecstasy, and peyote.
With the current classification set to lapse in just weeks, supporters say passing the HALT Fentanyl Act is critical to stemming the tide of deadly overdoses.
