WASHINGTON, D.C. — Washington Senator Maria Cantwell and the U.S. Senate voted to advance a bill aimed at cracking down on fentanyl trafficking.
On Friday, the Senate passed the bipartisan Halt All Lethal Trafficking Fentanyl Act (HALT) 84-16.
If signed into law, the HALT Act would permanently classify illegal fentanyl knockoff narcotics as Schedule I.
Fentanyl-like products have been temporarily Schedule I since 2018, but this law would make that classification permanent.
Medical use of fentanyl would remain and keep the FDA-approved drug as Schedule II.
The act would also streamline research for fentanyl-related substances.
“The HALT Fentanyl Act maintains strong penalties for trafficking fentanyl, while allowing for important scientific research and medical applications to continue,” said Senator Cantwell. “We still have more work to do on other bills to address the fentanyl scourge, from providing more treatment options, to additional resources for first responders, to more tools for law enforcement to stop traffickers and dealers.”
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