U.S. House of Representatives passes the ‘HALT Fentanyl Act’

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The U.S. House of Representatives passed on Thursday the ‘Halt Fentanyl Act,’ according to the office of North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.

The measure is aimed to permanently place any and all fentanyl related substances into Schedule I, which is the highest level classification of drugs. “This lifesaving legislation brings us one step closer to combatting the illicit fentanyl crisis,” Stefanik said.

Stefanik image.

“Across Upstate New York and the North Country, there has been an alarming spike in illicit fentanyl overdoses - just this past weekend, there were five overdoses in Rensselaer County. This cannot keep happening, which is why House Republicans took matters into their own hands and passed legislation to address the illicit fentanyl crisis.”

The bill would also anchor mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug distribution of fentanyl, without parole, and create a special registration process for researchers to conduct studies on these substances for potential medical use.

Headline image via the DEA.