The HALT Fentanyl Act takes a two-pronged approach to dealing with fentanyl. First, it officially classifies fentanyl and all related substances as Schedule I drugs—the most restrictive category under federal law. This means fentanyl is treated the same way as heroin or LSD: it's considered highly addictive with no accepted medical use, and people caught making, selling, or possessing it face serious criminal penalties.

The second part of the bill makes it easier for legitimate researchers to study fentanyl and other Schedule I drugs. Right now, researchers who want to study these substances face a lot of red tape and bureaucratic hurdles. This bill streamlines that process by creating a faster registration pathway for researchers funded by the Department of Health and Human Services or the VA, or those working under FDA approval. It also allows multiple research sites to share a single registration, reduces the need for repeated inspections, and lets registered researchers work with small amounts of these drugs in their labs without getting separate manufacturing permits.

In practical terms, this bill cracks down harder on fentanyl trafficking and abuse while simultaneously removing obstacles that slow down the scientific research that could help us better understand and combat the fentanyl crisis.

HALT Fentanyl Act

Griffith, H. Morgan

Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act or the HALT Fentanyl Act This bill places fentanyl-related substances as a class into schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. A schedule I controlled substance is a drug, substance, or chemical that has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act. Additionally, the bill establishes a new, alternative registration process for schedule I research that is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services or the Department of Veterans Affairs or that is conducted under an investigative new drug exemption from the Food and Drug Administration. The bill also makes several other changes to registration requirements for conducting research with controlled substances, including <ul> <li>permitting a single registration for related research sites in certain circumstances, </li> <li>waiving the requirement for a new inspection in certain situations, and </li> <li>allowing a registered researcher to perform certain manufacturing activities with small quantities of a substance without obtaining a manufacturing registration. </li> </ul>