When he ran for president in 2020, Joe Biden repudiated his long history of pushing harsh penalties for nonviolent drug offenses, calling for the abolition of mandatory minimum sentences. "Biden supports an end to mandatory minimums," his campaign said. "As president, he will work for the passage of legislation to repeal mandatory minimums at the federal level." But by endorsing a bill aimed at cracking down on fentanyl analogs, Biden is doing exactly the opposite.
The HALT Fentanyl Act, which the Republican-controlled House of Representatives approved today by a bipartisan 289–133 vote, would permanently add "fentanyl-related substances" (FRS) to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the most restrictive category. It defines an FRS as "any substance that is structurally related to fentanyl" and features one of five chemical alterations.
