Political Quotes

“Everyone in this body knows someone who has been affected by the drug overdose epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2022, there were more than 107,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. Sixty-seven percent of those deaths involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Right now, fentanyl analogues are considered schedule I substances, but only because of a series of scheduling orders that expire on December 31, 2024. Since we put that temporary order into place, we have seen a reduction in the trafficking of fentanyl analogues into our country. According to a 2021 GAO report, fentanyl analogues coming into the U.S. dropped by 90 percent in the year that we did the temporary scheduling. This bill aims to curb overdose deaths by permanently scheduling fentanyl analogues as schedule I substances. This will strengthen law enforcement's ability to prosecute fentanyl traffickers and act as a deterrent. The HALT Fentanyl Act also promotes research--this is something new-- by removing barriers to the research. In the Energy and Commerce Committee, we heard that there are as many as 4,800 potential analogues. Our experts at NIH, FDA, and other agencies have studied roughly 30 of the 4,800. By encouraging research of schedule I substances like fentanyl analogues, we can better understand how these substances work and how we may prevent potential harmful impacts in the future.…”