Pappas Helps Pass Bipartisan Legislation to Permanently Schedule Fentanyl Analogues

Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), a member of the Bipartisan Fentanyl Prevention Caucus,helped pass bipartisan legislation to permanently schedule all fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs to ensure law enforcement can keep them off the streets and hold drug traffickers accountable.

On February 6, 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a temporary scheduling order that placed all fentanyl-related substances in Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act for two years. Following Pappas’s leadership, Congress has extended the order several times, and the scheduling of these substances is currently set to expire on September 30, 2025.

The legislation passed through the House today, the HALT Fentanyl Act, contains identical key provisions from Pappas’s bipartisan SAFE Act, which he first introduced in the 117th Congress. It will 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 colleagues across the aisle to ensure that the scheduling of fentanyl analogues does not lapse and is finally made permanent. Scheduling is a critical step that ensures law enforcement retains the full suite of tools they need to take on the opioid crisis and crack down on drug traffickers. I urge the President to quickly sign it into law so these measures can become law,” said Congressman Pappas. “While this vote represents an important step forward, we cannot risk the progress we have made in bringing down drug-related deaths. Cuts made to Medicaid and recovery services by Republicans in Congress and our current administration will lead to worse outcomes for our communities. We must protect funding for recovery and avoid kicking people in recovery off their health care, and I will keep fighting to ensure New Hampshire has the resources needed to take on the opioid crisis from all fronts.”