Pappas Helps Pass Bipartisan Legislation to Permanently Schedule Fentanyl Analogues
Pappas has led the fight in Congress to permanently schedule all fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs, securing several extensions of the temporary scheduling measure until permanent measures could be passed
Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) helped pass bipartisan legislation to permanently schedule all fentanyl-related substances (FRS) as Schedule I drugs to ensure law enforcement can keep them off the streets.
On February 6, 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a temporary scheduling order (TSO) that placed FRS (as a class) in Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act for two years. Following Pappas’s leadership, Congress has extended the TSO several times, and the scheduling of these substances is currently set to expire on March 31, 2025.
The legislation passed through the House today, the HALT Fentanyl Act, contains identical major provisions to Pappas’s bipartisan SAFE Act, which he first introduced in the 117th Congress, and will finally amend Section 202(c) of the Controlled Substances Act to permanently classify any fentanyl-related substance as a Schedule I drug.
“Over the past five years, I have engaged with law enforcement, public health experts, and advocates to ensure that the scheduling of fentanyl analogues does not lapse, and is finally made permanent,” said Congressman Pappas. “I’m glad to see this legislation pass the House, and urge the Senate to quickly take it up so these measures can become law. Scheduling is a critical step that ensures law enforcement retains the full suite of tools they need to take on the opioid crisis, and I will continue fighting to ensure that our communities have the support they need to get these deadly drugs off our streets, support people in recovery, and finally end this crisis.”