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In a decisive vote on Thursday, the House of Representatives approved a Republican-led bill that seeks to impose harsher penalties on those trafficking fentanyl-related substances.
The legislation—called the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) Fentanyl Act—passed 312-108, with 98 Democrats joining 214 Republicans in support.
Under the bill, fentanyl-related substances would be permanently classified as Schedule I drugs. This is the category reserved for substances deemed to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
Currently, fentanyl itself is classified as Schedule II because of its recognized medical use for severe pain, but analogs—substances only slightly chemically different from fentanyl—would now face the strictest controls.
Traffickers sometimes modify fentanyl’s chemical structure to evade legal restrictions. By including these “copycat” versions under Schedule I, the bill aims to prevent criminals from circumventing existing law.
The legislation includes provisions allowing federally funded medical research on fentanyl-related substances, addressing concerns that making them Schedule I could hamper the development of new treatments or overdose-reversal strategies.
Despite concerns about potential increases in incarceration rates, the measure attracted notable bipartisan support. The 312-108 vote included yes votes from nearly 100 Democrats.
Republicans in the House, including Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-PA), championed the bill, citing the urgent need to crack down on traffickers.
Bresnahan, who lost a family member to a fentanyl-related incident, emphasized the personal toll of the crisis and the legislation’s significance in saving lives.
A similar version of the HALT Fentanyl Act passed the House in 2023 but stalled in the then-Democrat-controlled Senate. This time around, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and several Democratic co-sponsors, such as Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), are introducing a Senate companion bill. Supporters are hopeful the broader bipartisan backing may finally push it through both chambers.
The urgency is heightened by the looming expiration of a temporary order that classified fentanyl-related substances under Schedule I. Originally put in place in 2018 under the Trump administration, the order is set to lapse at the end of March unless Congress acts.
Fentanyl remains a leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), synthetic opioids—including fentanyl—were linked to over 74,000 overdose deaths in 2023 alone. The potency of fentanyl, often mixed with other illegal substances, has made it a prime contributor to the nation’s ongoing opioid crisis.
In an effort to curb the supply, the Trump administration recently imposed a 10% tariff on China, where precursor chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl are produced before being shipped to Mexico for synthesis and eventual distribution into the U.S.
With strong House approval secured, the HALT Fentanyl Act now heads to the Senate.
Observers note that bipartisan co-sponsorship in the upper chamber suggests the bill may have a greater chance this time.