A bipartisan bill recently passed the US Senate regarding a controlled substance.

Sources say The Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of Fentanyl Act passed the Senate by a vote of 84-16, which essentially makes fentanyl a scheduled I controlled substance permanently. Senator Chuck Grassley says currently, Congress has to act annually by March 31st whether or not to keep making fentanyl a scheduled I controlled substance or not. He points out that with this legislation, it will make things easier for law enforcement.

“And it’s going to give law enforcement a greater chance to strengthen this battle against fentanyl because it’s responsible for about 70,000 of the overdose deaths that we have every year of about 100,000.”

Grassley talks about why the annual Congressional action was established for the prescribed painkiller.

“You can change the chemical makeup of fentanyl very easily for their analogs and what might be illegal today isn’t illegal tomorrow. It just makes it very difficult for prosecution.”  

Senator Joni Ernst also praised the passage of the bill, adding that fentanyl is up to 100 times stronger than morphine and when mixed with other drugs including heroin, the combination has led to accidental overdoses. Grassley is confident that the House will also pass the bill, which will then be ready to be signed into law by President Donald Trump.