WASHINGTON — In a bipartisan vote Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the HALT Fentanyl Act. This bill would make permanent a temporary measure classifying fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs. The legislation, previously approved by the Senate, now heads to President Donald Trump, who has indicated he will sign it into law.
The bill passed the House 321-104, with support from nearly all Republicans and a significant number of Democrats. First enacted as an emergency rule in 2018, the classification allows for harsher penalties for possession and trafficking of fentanyl analogs, which are chemical variants of the powerful synthetic opioid.
“I don’t need to tell anybody about the horrible impact of drug overdoses in this country, many of them caused by fentanyl,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said following the bill’s passage. “In the coming weeks, we’ll be taking up legislation to address another aspect of the fight: securing our borders.”
Supporters argue the bill closes a loophole exploited by drug traffickers, particularly Mexican cartels, who have altered fentanyl’s chemical structure to avoid prosecution. “The cartels did this in an attempt to evade our criminal laws,” said Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., one of the bill’s co-sponsors. “This legislation gives our law enforcement the tools to combat this problem.”
Critics, however, warn the bill could worsen inequities in the justice system and hinder scientific research. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said the bill takes a punitive approach to what is primarily a public health crisis. “It uniformly criminalizes fentanyl-related substances without offering an offramp for those with potential medical use,” Pallone said during debate.
Congress has extended the temporary classification of fentanyl analogs multiple times since 2018, so the bill does not immediately change federal enforcement policy. However, supporters say the permanent scheduling gives law enforcement more clarity in targeting illicit fentanyl trafficking.
The legislation does not include funding for expanded public health measures or additional resources for law enforcement.
More than 80,000 Americans died of a drug overdose in the past year, with synthetic opioids like fentanyl responsible for the majority of those deaths.
