Simpson Applauds Passage of HALT Fentanyl Act

Washington, D.C. – Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today voted in favor of H.R. 467, the HALT Fentanyl Act.  This legislation would permanently place fentanyl-related substances into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), empower law enforcement to keep fentanyl off our streets, and support research efforts to understand the impacts of fentanyl in the United States.

“Fentanyl is an absolute plague tearing through our country, harming families, schools, and Idaho communities.  This deadly drug is pouring through our southern border and is taking many forms that we need to defend against, which is why I proudly supported H.R. 467 in addition to recent border security legislation,” said Simpson.

H.R. 467 passed in the House of Representatives on May 25, 2023, by a vote of 289-133 and awaits further action in the U.S. Senate.

Background:

Fentanyl-related substances have repeatedly been put on Schedule I temporarily.  If they were to leave Schedule I, many fentanyl-related substances would become street legal, law enforcement and border patrol officers would lose their authority to seize these drugs, and drug traffickers would be empowered to push deadlier drugs on our streets by changing one molecule in the fentanyl formula to create legal variations.

In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has seized over 14,000 pounds of fentanyl coming across the border, enough to kill over 3.1 billion people.  Over 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

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