Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed into law the HALT Fentanyl Act, a measure aimed at combating the illegal distribution of fentanyl and enhancing penalties for traffickers of the deadly drug.
Joined by members of Congress and families who have lost loved ones to fentanyl overdoses, Trump held a signing ceremony at the White House, calling the bill a “historic step toward justice for every family touched by the fentanyl scourge.”
“We’ll be getting the drug dealers, pushers, and peddlers off our street, and we will not rest until we have ended the drug overdose epidemic,” Trump said. “And it’s been getting a little bit better, but it’s horrible.”
The legislation, formally titled the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act, amends the Controlled Substances Act to permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs. The designation is reserved for substances considered to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use.
Trump’s first administration imposed a temporary Schedule I classification on fentanyl analogues in 2018, a move Congress has repeatedly extended in recent years. The newly signed law makes the restriction permanent, while continuing to allow medical-grade fentanyl to be prescribed and regulated under Schedule II by the Food and Drug Administration.
The bill passed with bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress, signaling a shared concern over the nation’s escalating overdose crisis.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid often mixed with other drugs, has become a leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States. Authorities say many fentanyl shipments originate in China before being smuggled into the U.S. through Mexico.
Trump repeated his longstanding criticism of China’s role in the fentanyl crisis, linking it to his trade policy and calling for stronger penalties in the country of origin.
“I think we’re going to work it out so that China is going to end up going from that to giving the death penalty to the people that create this fentanyl and send it into our country,” Trump said. “I believe that’s going to happen soon.”
