Pinehurst Today

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On May 25, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-09) released the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 467, the Halt All Lethal Tracking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act, his legislation that will permanently schedule fentanyl-related substances:

“Fentanyl is a deadly poison that is killing 300 Americans every single day,” said Rep. Hudson. “We need to give law enforcement every tool possible to fight this deadly poison in every form. That’s why I am proud of my HALT Fentanyl Act to help curb the presence of fentanyl in the United States and reduce deaths.”

The HALT Fentanyl Act will:

•    Make the temporary class-wide scheduling order for fentanyl-related substances permanent

•    Ensure law enforcement has the tools they need to keep fentanyl-related substances off America’s streets

•    Allow practitioners to research fentanyl-related substances in order to better understand its overall effects on people's health

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdoses are the leading causes of preventable deaths of Americans ages 18 to 45. According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, 77% of overdose deaths in 2021 involved fentanyl, often in combination with other substances. 

The HALT Fentanyl Act closely tracks recommendations to Congress submitted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy in September 2021. It would permanently place fentanyl and fentanyl related substances into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, simplify registration processes for certain research with Schedule I substances, remove barriers that currently impede such work, and provide for exemption of individual FRS from Schedule I when evidence demonstrates it is appropriate.

Issues: Health Care 

Original source can be found here.