Lafayette Reporter

Senator John Kennedy, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has joined Senators Chuck Grassley, Bill Cassidy, and Martin Heinrich in introducing the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act. This legislation aims to permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act.

"Americans know the carnage of fentanyl all too well. The HALT Fentanyl Act would save lives in Louisiana and across the country by empowering law enforcement to seek justice against dealers who work with cartels to profit off feeding poison to Americans," stated Kennedy.

Fentanyl is currently a scheduled substance; however, Mexican drug cartels often make minor chemical changes to create similar drugs that are not controlled. The DEA had temporarily classified these fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I, but this order will expire on March 31, 2025, unless Congress intervenes.

The HALT Fentanyl Act seeks to ensure that these substances remain classified as Schedule I and clarifies that mandatory minimum penalties for fentanyl trafficking also apply to its related substances. "Today, roughly 150 Americans will die from fentanyl poisoning. Cartels fuel this crisis by marketing their poison as legitimate prescription pills. They also avoid regulation by chemically altering the drugs to create powerful fentanyl knock-offs," said Grassley.

"The Biden administration’s open border was an invitation to drug cartels smuggling Chinese fentanyl into the U.S., fueling the U.S. overdose epidemic," commented Cassidy. "We cannot let this Schedule I classification lapse."

Heinrich added, "We’re losing more than 100,000 Americans each year to illicit fentanyl overdoses... Our HALT Fentanyl Act will help stop the flow of these deadly drugs into our communities and save lives."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that in 2023 there were 81,083 opioid-related overdose deaths in the U.S. In March 2023, Kennedy introduced another bill aimed at addressing fentanyl trafficking sentences which was blocked by Senate Democrats in May 2023.

In addition to Kennedy and his co-sponsors Grassley, Cassidy, and Heinrich; Senators Roger Marshall, Todd Young, Steve Daines, Eric Schmitt, Maggie Hassan, Shelley Moore Capito, Ruben Gallego, Catherine Cortez Masto, Mike Rounds and Jeanne Shaheen have also cosponsored this legislation.