Biden supports GOP bill against Fentanyl.
Biden Administration Supports Republican-Led Bill to Regulate Fentanyl
The Biden administration has signaled its support for a Republican-led bill that would more strictly regulate fentanyl by listing it as a Schedule I narcotic under the Controlled Substances Act.
The “Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act” (“HALT Fentanyl Act”) was introduced by Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) earlier this year to permanently list fentanyl-related substances (FRS) as a Schedule I narcotic.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) defines Schedule I narcotics as those with “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”
Fentanyl and its analogs have already been deemed Schedule I drugs, but only on a temporary basis that is set to expire in 2024.
While making fentanyl and its analogs a more permanent part of the Schedule I narcotics list, Griffith’s bill would also reform the scheduling system to make it easier for researchers to study such controlled substances.
“These two provisions are critical components of the Biden-Harris Administration’s 2021 recommendations to Congress to combat the supply of illicit FRS and save lives,” the White House said in a statement of administrative policy on Monday.
The Biden administration issued a list of recommendations for fentanyl and its analogs in September 2021. Among those recommendations was to make the FRS Schedule I status permanent.
Fentanyl has been a particular cause for concern in recent years due to its potency. Fentanyl’s potency makes it popular as an adulterant in other drug substances but also increases the potential for potentially deadly overdoses.
The United States recorded 108,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021, including about 71,000 from fentanyl or similar synthetic opioids. The DEA announced record fentanyl seizures last year, seizing more than 379 million doses of the drug.
Other Democrats Opposed GOP Bill
Thus far, Griffith’s latest iteration of the bill has garnered 52 co-sponsors, all of whom are Republican lawmakers. Biden’s endorsement could shift Democratic support toward the bill and help it gather more momentum to pass.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce favorably reported on Griffith’s bill on May 17, by a vote of 27-19. The predominantly Democratic minority view on the bill was that it didn’t implement all of the Biden administration’s recommendations for fentanyl and its analogs.
While Griffith’s bill permanently reschedules FRS as a Schedule I narcotic and streamlines the process to research these substances, the 2021 Biden recommendations also entailed excluding FRS from all quantity-based mandatory minimum penalties for possession. The 2021 recommendations also included creating a more streamlined process for the Department of Health and Human Services to remove or reschedule any individual FRS “that is found to not have a high potential for abuse,” and enabling federal courts t
The Biden administration has signaled its support for a Republican-led bill that would more strictly regulate fentanyl by listing it as a Schedule I narcotic under the Controlled Substances Act.
Fentanyl is a highly potent drug that has caused concern in recent years due to its potential for deadly overdoses. The United States recorded 108,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021, with about 71,000 from fentanyl or similar synthetic opioids. To combat the supply of illicit fentanyl-related substances (FRS) and save lives, the Biden administration has issued recommendations to Congress, including making the FRS Schedule I status permanent.
The “Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act” (“HALT Fentanyl Act”) was introduced by Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) earlier this year to permanently list FRS as a Schedule I narcotic. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) defines Schedule I narcotics as those with “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”
Griffith’s bill would also reform the scheduling system to make it easier for researchers to study such controlled substances. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce favorably reported on Griffith’s bill on May 17, by a vote of 27-19. While the bill has garnered 52 co-sponsors, all of whom are Republican lawmakers, Biden’s endorsement could shift Democratic support toward the bill and help it gather more momentum to pass.
Biden Administration’s Recommendations
- Make the FRS Schedule I status permanent
- Exclude FRS from all quantity-based mandatory minimum penalties for possession
- Create a more streamlined process for the Department of Health and Human Services to remove or reschedule any individual FRS “that is found to not have a high potential for abuse”
- Enable federal courts to
While Griffith’s bill permanently reschedules FRS as a Schedule I narcotic and streamlines the process to research these substances, it doesn’t implement all of the Biden administration’s recommendations for fentanyl and its analogs.
“These two provisions are critical components of the Biden-Harris Administration’s 2021 recommendations to Congress to combat the supply of illicit FRS and save lives,” the White House said in a statement of administrative policy on Monday.
With the DEA announcing record fentanyl seizures last year, seizing more than 379 million doses of the drug, it’s clear that stricter regulation of fentanyl is needed to combat the opioid epidemic and save lives.
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