House passes HALT Fentanyl Act, hoping to permanently classify it

• The House moved to classify fentanyl as a Schedule 1 drug permanently through the HALT Fentanyl Act. It will classify the drug as the level of heroin and LSD, giving law enforcement as well as the court more power to crack down on drug traffickers.
• The House acted now because its temporary status was slated to expire on March 31.
• The measure now goes to the Senate, where it has a greater chance of passage than in the past now that Republicans are in charge.

Full Story

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill Thursday, Feb. 6, that would permanently reclassify the powerful opioid fentanyl as a Schedule 1 drug. That means it has no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

Why does classification matter?

The vote in the House was 312-108, with 98 Democrats joining 214 Republicans in favor of the measure.

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Classifying fentanyl as among the most dangerous drugs would give law enforcement more power to make arrests, increase penalties for possession and the sale of it and see drug traffickers face mandatory minimum prison sentences if convicted.

What other drugs are classified as Schedule 1?

The bill closes a loophole, which allowed drug traffickers to change the chemical component of the drug to circumvent restrictions on pure fentanyl.

As a Schedule 1, it would fall under the same classification as heroin, LSD and ecstasy.

Why is Congress taking action now?

In 2023, the House passed the HALT Fentanyl Act, which stalled in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

In 2018, the first Trump administration temporarily gave fentanyl a Schedule 1 classification, but it was slated to expire on March 31 of this year, which led Congress to act now.

What are some of the overdose impacts?

Powerful opioids or painkillers have ravaged families and communities.

In 2023 alone, the CDC reported 74,702 overdose deaths from synthetic opioids in the U.S., with fentanyl being the primary culprit.

On the House floor, Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw called the drug a deadly threat that he believes is responsible for the nation’s “biggest mass poisoning in our history.“

How has this issue played a role in politics and policy?

The issue has become front and center for President Donald Trump.

The president imposed, then paused, tariffs against Mexico and Canada. He demanded both countries beef up control of their respective borders with the U.S. and stop the flow of fentanyl into the country.

The Trump administration also imposed a 10% tariff on China, where it believes chemicals to make fentanyl are made and then shipped to Mexico for the drug’s manufacture.

Critics, including Senate Democrats, said the reclassification of fentanyl would result in mass incarcerations and not prevent deaths.

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What happens now?

The bill heads to the Senate, where Republicans have the majority this time.