Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) celebrated the passing of S.331, the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of Fentanyl Act, legislation to permanently place fentanyl on Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) – giving law enforcement a critical tool to prosecute offenders and keep our local communities safe.

"The Biden administration’s surrender of our southern border to narco-terrorists drug cartels fueled the invasion of drugs, crime, and criminals into our communities," said Chairman Arrington. “The result: the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans from fentanyl poisoning. I’m proud to support the HALT Fentanyl Act to ensure law enforcement has the tools they need to combat these deadly drugs."

Background:

The HALT Fentanyl Act will:

• Address the permanent scheduling of fentanyl analogues in the Schedule I category, as well as grant researchers the ability to conduct studies on these substances.

• Closely track recommendations to Congress submitted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy in September 2021.

• Permanently place fentanyl analogues into Schedule I of the CSA.

• Simplify registration processes for certain research with Schedule I substances, removing barriers that currently impede such work.

• Provide for exemption of individual analogues from Schedule I when evidence demonstrates it is appropriate.

A previous version of this legislation was passed by the House in February of this year, before being amended by the Senate and sent back in March. With today’s House vote, the HALT Fentanyl Act will be sent to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

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