U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) have expressed their approval following the Senate Judiciary Committee’s passage of the Halt Lethal Trafficking (HALT) Fentanyl Act. This legislation aims to permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The current classification is set to expire on March 31, 2025. The bill follows in the footsteps of the Stopping Overdoses of Fentanyl Analogues (SOFA) Act introduced by Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.).
Senator Blackburn stated, “Border Patrol officers have caught more fentanyl nationwide over the last two years than ever before in history, and Tennessee communities are paying the tragic price.” She added that the HALT Fentanyl Act would assist law enforcement in addressing fentanyl trafficking.
Dr. Cassidy remarked, “Chinese fentanyl was pouring into the U.S. under President Biden’s open border. Law enforcement needs every tool possible to combat this.” He acknowledged Chairman Grassley’s efforts in advancing the bill through committee stages.
The urgency for this legislation is underscored by data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which reported an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in 2023, primarily due to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. These substances are mostly manufactured in Mexico with raw materials from China.
In 2022, over 50.6 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills were seized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), more than doubling figures from 2021.
The HALT Fentanyl Act has garnered support from a bipartisan group of co-sponsors including Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Chuck Grassley(R-Iowa), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Ruben Gallego(D-Ariz.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Angus King(I-Maine), Mark Kelly(D-Ariz.), John Cornyn(R-Texas), Josh Hawley(R-Mo.), Thom Tillis(R-N.C.), Lindsey Graham(R-S.C.), Ted Cruz(R-Texas), Katie Britt(R-Ala.), Mike Lee(R-Utah), and Ashley Moody(R-Fla.).
