Rep. Crank Votes to Combat Fentanyl Crisis
WASHINGTON - Today, Rep. Jeff Crank (CO-05) voted in favor of the HALT Fentanyl Act, which passed the Floor.
Currently, fentanyl and fentanyl analogues temporarily fall under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) due to a temporary scheduling order. The HALT Fentanyl Act will make the temporary scheduling order permanent.
"Tens of thousands of people die from drug overdoses per year," said Rep. Crank. "The HALT Fentanyl Act makes President Trump's class-wide scheduling order for fentanyl-related drugs permanent and will give law enforcement the tools they need to help keep these dangerous drugs off our streets."
Background:
If the emergency class-wide scheduling order expires: - Many fentanyl-related substances will become street-legal. - Law enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection lose the authority to seize these dangerous drugs.
As part of our efforts to fix the border crisis and stop the scourge of fentanyl pouring into our communities, the HALT Fentanyl Act will empower law enforcement to crack down on drug traffickers and transnational crime organizations.
In FY 2023 alone, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized over 9,000 pounds of fentanyl coming across the southern border, enough to kill over 2.1 billion people, or over 6.4 times the U.S. population.
Fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Just a few milligrams, an amount small enough to fit inside the ear of Lincoln on a penny, can be lethal.
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