Today, the House of Representatives passed the HALT Fentanyl Act, a bill supported by Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ). This legislation would make the temporary class-wide scheduling order for fentanyl-related substances permanent and provide law enforcement with the necessary tools to combat this deadly crisis.

For years, America has faced a surge of lethal opioids flooding our communities. In fact, fentanyl poisonings have now become the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18-49. 

Cartels import precursor chemicals from China, manufacture on an industrial scale, and generate enormous profits once the product is smuggled into the United States. According to a federal indictment in the Southern District of New York, as detailed in a Reuters investigation, $800 worth of precursor chemicals can be transformed into fentanyl pills or powder yielding up to $640,000.

Transnational criminal organizations use this revenue for bribing officials, expanding production, reinforcing distribution networks, and stockpiling weaponry.

If the emergency class-wide scheduling order expires, drug traffickers could exploit loopholes in federal law by making minor molecular changes to fentanyl compounds, creating technically legal but equally lethal variants. This would strip U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other agencies of the authority to seize these substances.

“As a border state, Arizona has long been on the front lines of this crisis and has borne the brunt of these tragic consequences. By permanently classifying all fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs, we are fully criminalizing these weaponized opioids and giving law enforcement the tools they urgently need,” said Rep. Crane. “I’m proud to support this proactive legislation, which prevents dangerous loopholes and deters cartels from exploiting our system. I look forward to President Trump signing this into law.”