Source: National Association of Police Organizations.
The Washington Report: The Newsletter of the National Association of Police Organizations
March 21, 2015
Senate Passes HALT Fentanyl Act
The Senate passed the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act (S. 331), sponsored by Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), on March 14 by a vote of 84-16. This important bill will make permanent the current classwide scheduling of all fentanyl-related substances as Schedule 1 drugs under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), giving law enforcement the tools and resources necessary to combat and deter fentanyl in our nation’s communities.
Fentanyl is now the drug most associated with overdoses in the United States. It is being mixed with already deadly illicit drugs, hidden in counterfeit drugs, and being peddled at alarmingly high rates to our nation’s youth. 5 out of 10 counterfeit prescription drugs seized by law enforcement in 2024 were laced with a deadly dose of fentanyl. Fentanyl is now the drug most associated with overdoses in the United States. The amount of fentanyl the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized in 2024 – nearly 8,000 pounds of fentanyl – represents over 367 million deadly doses.
Law enforcement officers are out in our communities fighting the spread of fentanyl. They are responding to fentanyl overdoses and deaths, trying to save lives and take fentanyl off our streets. The temporary renewals Congress has passed over the last several years are not sustainable, and law enforcement needs to know they will continue to have the tools necessary to combat and deter the spread of fentanyl. Fentanyl precursors and analogues must be permanently scheduled as Schedule 1 drugs under the CSA. The HALT Fentanyl Act is a vital part of our fight against fentanyl.
The House passed its version of the bill, H.R. 27, on February 6, by wide bipartisan margins. S. 331 varies slightly from the House-passed version due to some technical corrections that had to be made. We are working with House leadership to quickly take up and pass S. 331 and send it to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
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