Friday, March 24, 2023 – Today, Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH) applauded the Committee passage of their Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act, legislation to address the permanent scheduling of fentanyl analogues. It was favorably passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and will now go to the House floor for a vote.
“I am pleased the Energy and Commerce Committee has approved my critical legislation with Congressman Latta to permanently schedule fentanyl analogues and that it will now head to the House floor for a vote,” said Griffith. “As drug overdose deaths reach historic levels in our country, the HALT Fentanyl Act offers a way to make progress amid the tragedy of addiction.”
“In just one year, lethal fentanyl poisonings claimed the lives of over 5,000 Ohioans and more than 70,000 Americans. It is clear that swift action is needed to stem this crisis. Today, the Energy and Commerce Committee did just that by advancing the HALT Fentanyl Act, legislation I’m co-leading with my colleague, Rep. Morgan Griffith. This bill is key to saving lives by helping eradicate the scourge of fentanyl that has infiltrated our communities in Ohio and beyond. I look forward to its next stop: a vote before the U.S. House of Representatives,” said Latta.
Currently, fentanyl and fentanyl analogues temporarily fall under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) due to a temporary scheduling order that runs through Dec. 31, 2024. The HALT Fentanyl Act would permanently place fentanyl analogues into Schedule I of the CSA, simplify registration processes for certain research with Schedule I substances, remove barriers that currently impede such work, and provide for the exemption of individual analogues from Schedule I when evidence demonstrates it is appropriate.