{"id":2399911,"date":"2025-02-06T17:58:01","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T22:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stricter-penalties-for-fentanyl-related-drugs-passes-house-with-bipartisan-vote-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-02-06T18:02:15","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T23:02:15","slug":"stricter-penalties-for-fentanyl-related-drugs-passes-house-with-bipartisan-vote-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stricter-penalties-for-fentanyl-related-drugs-passes-house-with-bipartisan-vote-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Stricter penalties for fentanyl-related drugs passes House with bipartisan vote &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fstricter-penalties-for-fentanyl-related-drugs-passes-house-with-bipartisan-vote-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2399911&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>On Thursday evening,\u2064 the U.S. House \u2063of \u2062Representatives narrowly passed the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) Fentanyl Act, a Republican-led\u2063 bill aimed at imposing stricter penalties for fentanyl-related drug \u2062offenses. The bipartisan\u2064 vote of 312 to \u2064108 included support from 98 \u200bDemocrats. If enacted, the \u2064bill would permanently classify substances closely related to fentanyl as Schedule I drugs, marking \u2062them alongside the most perilous drugs, wich includes heroin and ecstasy.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200clegislation is a\u2063 response to the ongoing opioid crisis and aims to\u200d stop the influx\u2063 of fentanyl \u2063through U.S.borders, a key agenda point for former President Trump\u200c in his 2024 campaign.\u2064 Lawmakers like Rep.rob bresnahan expressed\u200b personal connections to the issue, noting the devastating impact \u2063of fentanyl within communities.<\/p>\n<p>The HALT \u200bAct is intended to close a potential loophole created \u2063by \u2062the expiration of temporary \u2063classifications of fentanyl analogs \u200blater this year. Previous iterations of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-lawmakers-will-move-forward-with-legislation-backing-israel-following-iranian-attack\/\" title=\"US legislators are set to push ahead with a ... supporting Israel after an attack by Iran\">bill faced challenges<\/a> in the Democrat-controlled\u2062 Senate, but this latest one has garnered support from both parties. Despite criticisms regarding\u2062 its potential effectiveness in addressing\u2063 the larger demand-side\u200d problems \u200bof the opioid epidemic, \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">associations representing \u2062law enforcement<\/a> have\u200d endorsed the \u200cmeasure.<\/p>\n<p>The opioid crisis has seen meaningful fatalities,\u200b with over \u200d109,000\u2063 overdose deaths recorded in 2022 in \u2062the United \u200dStates, a majority attributed \u2064to synthetic opioids\u200d like fentanyl. While overdose rates have slightly \u200cdecreased in 2023, the use of\u200d synthetic opioids has been\u2063 rising. Access to \u200cnaloxone,\u200d a \u200clife-saving overdose reversal\u2063 medication, has increased during \u2064this time, contributing\u2062 to lower death \u2062rates despite rising\u2064 use.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Stricter penalties for fentanyl-related drugs passes House with bipartisan vote<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1629061\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-republicans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Republican-led\">Republican-led<\/a> bill to impose harsher sentences for people convicted of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/restoring-america\/community-family\/3310424\/halt-fentanyl-act-gives-americans-hope\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"fentanyl-like\">fentanyl-like<\/a> drug crimes narrowly passed the House on Thursday evening, with 98 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Democrats\">Democrats<\/a> supporting the measure.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The GOP-sponsored Halt All Lethal Trafficking, or <a href=\"https:\/\/d1dth6e84htgma.cloudfront.net\/02_03_2025_One_Pager_re_HALT_Fentanyl_Act_cd7d3822e9.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"HALT\">HALT<\/a>, Fentanyl Act (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/house-bill\/27\/text\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"H.R.27\">H.R.27<\/a>) will permanently classify drugs that are only slightly chemically different from fentanyl as Schedule I substances, the category reserved for the most dangerous types of drugs.&nbsp;The bill passed 312 to 108. <\/p>\n<p>Stopping the flow of fentanyl across the United States&rsquo;s southern and northern borders was a plank of President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a>&lsquo;s 2024 campaign platform. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/opioid-crisis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"opioid crisis\">opioid crisis<\/a> is a matter that was particularly important to voters in Rust Belt swing states that have been hit hard by the epidemic.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Fentanyl does not discriminate between what socioeconomic background or what family it destroys,&rdquo; Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/rob-bresnahan\/feed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Rob Bresnahan\">Rob Bresnahan<\/a> (R-PA) told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> ahead of Thursday&rsquo;s vote. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve actually had a family member that passed away very tragically because of a fentanyl-related situation when she was 16 years old. So I&rsquo;m a big believer in stopping and halting the flow of fentanyl that is literally killing our people.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal, depending on a person&rsquo;s body size. Drug dealers increasingly mix fentanyl with other illicit drugs because of its high potency and low cost.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dea.gov\/drug-information\/drug-scheduling#:~:text=Schedule%20I%20drugs%2C%20substances%2C%20or,Schedule%20II\" target=\"_blank\">Schedule I drugs<\/a>, as defined by the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/drug-enforcement-administration\/\" target=\"_blank\">Drug Enforcement Agency<\/a>, are those th<\/span>at have &ldquo;no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse&rdquo; and include heroin, marijuana, and ecstasy.<\/p>\n<p>Fentanyl itself is a Schedule II drug, meaning that it has a high potential for abuse but also a recognized medical purpose to treat severe chronic pain or following surgery. However, fentanyl copycats, called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fentanyl-deaths-skyrocket-becoming-nations-leading-killer-for-adults-age-18-45\/\" title=\"... Deaths Skyrocket, Becoming Nation\u2019s Leading Killer For Adults Age 18-45\">fentanyl-related substances<\/a>, do not have the recognition of medicinal properties.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/drexel.edu\/studentlife\/community-standards\/code-of-conduct\/drug-free-schools-and-community-act\/drug-use#:~:text=The%20federal%20penalty%20for%20the,imprisonment%20and%20not%20more%20than\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Criminal charges<\/a> for Schedule I <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/connecticut-house-debates-expunging-criminal-records-for-300k\/\" title=\"Connecticut ... Debates Expunging Criminal Records for 300K\">drug-related offenses<\/a> are severe at both the federal and state levels, with the manufacturing or sale of small amounts of Schedule I drugs resulting in five to 40 years in prison for a first offense federally.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, under the first Trump administration, fentanyl-related substances were temporarily classified as Schedule I, orders which were re-upped by lawmakers several times subsequently.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If the bill does not pass both chambers, the temporary classification will expire at the end of March, creating a loophole in prosecuting people for possession of fentanyl-related substances.<\/p>\n<p>A similar version of the HALT Fentanyl bill that passed Thursday also passed the House in 2023, with 74 Democratic supporters and the assent of former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Joe Biden\">Joe Biden<\/a>. However, the legislation stalled in the Democrat-controlled Senate.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I was honored to deliver my first speech  on the House Floor today to share my support for the HALT Fentanyl Act. As someone who has lost a family member to this crisis, I know that no community is immune from this epidemic. Today&rsquo;s legislation will protect our children,&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tm36NXvHUf\">pic.twitter.com\/tm36NXvHUf<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Congressman Rob Bresnahan Jr. (@RepBresnahan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepBresnahan\/status\/1887582095867883990?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 6, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;This bill should have passed both chambers last congress. It should have passed with unanimous support,&rdquo; Bresnahan said in his first House floor speech during debates over the bill Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>This time, the Senate version of the legislation, introduced this week by Sens. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chuck-grassley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Chuck Grassley\">Chuck Grassley<\/a> (R-IA) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bill-cassidy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Chuck Grassley\">Bill Cassidy<\/a> (R-LA), is co-sponsored by several Democrats, including Sens. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ruben-gallego\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Ruben Gallego\">Ruben Gallego<\/a> (D-AZ), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/catherine-cortez-masto\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Catherine Cortez Masto\">Catherine Cortez Masto<\/a> (D-NV), and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maggie-hassan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Ruben Gallego\">Maggie Hassan<\/a> (D-NH).<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, the Government Accountability Office <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/products\/gao-21-499\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> a report indicating that one negative consequence of classifying all fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I would be the increased difficulty in medical research. The current bill carves out specific exemptions for medical research if the project is conducted or funded by the federal government.<\/p>\n<p>The legislation has endorsements from various state and federal law enforcement associations, but critics argue that reclassifying fentanyl analogs will do nothing to address the demand-side factors of the opioid epidemic.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Illicit fentanyl poisonings are now the leading cause of death for adults under age 49, beating cancer, heart disease, and car crashes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, over 109,000 people in the U.S. died of drug overdoses, roughly 76,000 of which were caused by synthetic opioids such as fentanyl or its copycats. Overdose death rates decreased slightly in 2023, down to <a href=\"https:\/\/d1dth6e84htgma.cloudfront.net\/02_03_2025_One_Pager_re_HALT_Fentanyl_Act_cd7d3822e9.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"107,000\">107,000<\/a> overall and roughly 75,000 from synthetic opioids<\/p>\n<p>Usage rates of synthetic opioids, however, have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/products\/databriefs\/db491.htm#:~:text=Between%202021%20and%202022%2C%20the,psychostimulants%20with%20abuse%20potential%20increased.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">increased<\/a> in recent years by more than 4% between 2021 and 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Part of the reason for the paradoxical increase in use but the decrease in deaths is the expansion of access to naloxone, which was made over-the-counter in 2023. A <a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamanetworkopen\/fullarticle\/2824732\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">recent 2024<\/a> study found that, although naloxone treatment for overdose emergency calls has decreased by about 6% between 2020 and 2022, lay person-administered naloxone before EMS arrival increased by more than 43%.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/congressional-report\/119th-congress\/house-report\/2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"amendment\">amendment<\/a> to the HALT bill was put forward by Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3253499\/massachusetts-house-democrat-targeted-by-bomb-threat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Lori Trahan \">Lori Trahan <\/a>(D-MA), which would have required the secretary of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hhs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Health and Human Services \">Health and Human Services <\/a>and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/attorney-generals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Attorney General\">attorney general<\/a> to certify that the measure would indeed decrease overdose deaths before it was fully implemented.<\/p>\n<p>The amendment failed by 226 to 182, with 24 Democrats siding with Republicans.<\/p>\n<p><em>Associate Editor Hailey Bullis contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1629061\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1629061\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>House passes bipartisan bill for stricter fentanyl penalties<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2666,"featured_media":2399912,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AP24257616120027.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3667,36747,10250,32450,9637],"class_list":["post-2399911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bipartisan","tag-drug-policy","tag-fentanyl","tag-house-vote","tag-penalties"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AP24257616120027.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2666"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2399911"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399911\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2399915,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399911\/revisions\/2399915"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2399912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2399911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2399911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2399911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}