WASHINGTON — Congress has passed a bill that would permanently classify illicit, fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule I substance.
The “Halt Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act”, known as HALT, was introduced by Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Republican Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Democrat Martin Heinrich of New Mexico in January. Grassley says the bill secures a major victory in the fight against fentanyl. “Today is a major achievement in the fight against fentanyl that kills about 70,000 people every year. It’s an achievement because the HALT fentanyl bill is on the way to the president.”
Grassley commended his Republican colleagues in getting the bill passed after a previous attempt failed. “Democrats failed to pass this bill last year when they controlled the United States Senate. So we have the Republicans taking the bull by the horns and getting this bill to the President of the United States, and I’m proud to be a part of that effort.”
The bill passed the Senate in March on an 84-16 vote and recently passed in the House by a 321-104 margin.
