U.S. Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) on Dec. 8 signed on as the lead original cosponsor of a Republican bill that would permanently categorize fentanyl as a Schedule I drug, which has a high potential for both abuse and severe psychological and/or physical dependence, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
Currently, fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances (FRS) — which are part of the nation’s ongoing opioid crisis and have contributed to overdose deaths — temporarily fall under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act in a scheduling order that expires on Feb. 18, 2022.
“Over the last three decades, the United States has been fighting the opioid epidemic, ranging from prescription opioids to synthetic opioids, like fentanyl,” Rep. Latta said. “The havoc these substances wreak on our communities is devastating, and congressional action must be taken.”
Rep. Latta is one of 27 original cosponsors of the Halt Lethal Trafficking (HALT) Fentanyl Act, H.R. 6184, which is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) to address the permanent scheduling of fentanyl analogs in the Schedule I category, as well as to grant researchers the ability to conduct studies on these substances, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Latta’s staff.
If enacted, H.R. 6184 also would track recommendations submitted in September to Congress by the Office of National Drug Control Policy to simplify registration processes for certain research with Schedule I substances, removing barriers to such work, and providing exemption of individual FRS from Schedule I when evidence demonstrates it is appropriate, the summary says.
“I am pleased to introduce meaningful legislation alongside my colleague, Rep. Griffith, that will permanently schedule fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I substances under the Controlled Substances Act,” said Rep. Latta. “In the United States, we lost more than 100,000 lives to drug overdose deaths from April 2020 to April 2021 per the CDC, and in Ohio, 5,585 lives. We must prioritize combating this epidemic, and I invite my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us in this fight.”
H.R. 6184 is the companion bill to the same-named S. 3336, which U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Richard Burr (R-NC) also introduced on Dec. 8 in the U.S. Senate.
“Chinese fentanyl is fueling the overdose epidemic, flooding through our southern border with the help of the drug cartels,” said Sen. Cassidy, who sponsored S. 3336. “Fentanyl is now the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States. To ensure law enforcement has the tools to combat this trend, we cannot let this Schedule I classification lapse.”