On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed the HALT (Halt All Lethal Trafficking) Fentanyl Act. The bill aims to make permanent a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) temporary emergency rule from 2018, which has been extended twice by Congress. This rule classifies derivatives of the synthetic opioid fentanyl not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration—known as "fentanyl-related substances"—as Schedule I controlled substances. This extended rule is set to expire in March.
This is nothing new. Lawmakers are not fundamentally altering existing federal fentanyl policy; they are simply continuing a framework that has failed over the past seven years to stop sellers of illicit fentanyl from meeting market demand. Celebrating the passage of the HALT Fentanyl Act as a new effort to combat fentanyl trafficking and overdose deaths is merely an example of performance art.
By classifying a drug as Schedule I, the DEA determines it to have "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse." The DEA categorizes cannabis, heroin, and psychedelic drugs as Schedule I. Cops may not see these substances as medically valuable, but many physicians might disagree.
