Ed Markey: “reserving the right to object, the HALT Fentanyl Act would permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as schedule…”

“reserving the right to object, the HALT Fentanyl Act would permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as schedule I substances under the Controlled Substances Act. The fentanyl epidemic is ravaging communities across the United States. We are losing more than 80,000 Americans to overdose every year from opioid overdose. With deaths reaching this level, we do need every tool at our disposal to combat illicit fentanyl, but reclassification of fentanyl-related substances as schedule I substances would limit the government's ability to research overdose and addiction treatment medications, override critical public health considerations in scheduling decisions, and extend the policy approach of the failed War on Drugs. Schedule I drugs are difficult for scientists to research. Fentanyl's potency and danger demand that we study it and its analogs to combat overdose and addiction. A permanent, blanket schedule I category for any fentanyl-related substance would create barriers to vital research. This punishment-only categorization for fentanyl-related substances would eclipse the longstanding public health approach to Controlled Substances Act scheduling. The Controlled Substances Act authorizes the administration to consider concrete scientific factors when determining which scheduling category should apply to a drug, and that approach is absent here.…”