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FIRST ON FOX: Multiple U.S. senators are putting their political affiliations aside to reintroduce bipartisan legislation to combat the rise of deadly fentanyl amid a national opioid crisis.
Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., are leading nearly a dozen colleagues in reintroducing the Halt Lethal Trafficking (HALT) Fentanyl Act.
The legislation would permanently classify fentanyl-related substances in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. This classification is currently temporary.
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy led the bi-partisan fentanyl legislation, along with Sens. Chuck Grassley and Martin Heinrich. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Drug overdoses, largely driven by fentanyl, are the leading cause of death among young adults 18 to 45 years old, and synthetic opioids like fentanyl account for 66% of the total U.S. overdose deaths.
Yet, the drug’s Schedule I classification is set to expire in just a couple of months, on March 31.
The bill will be processed through the Senate Judiciary Committee, which Grassley notably chairs. Given the bill sponsor's role on the committee, the measure is expected to be prioritized and ultimately sent to the floor for full Senate consideration — which many bills are not.
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Sen. Chuck Grassley chairs the Judiciary Committee. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"The Biden administration’s open border was an invitation to drug cartels smuggling Chinese fentanyl into the U.S., fueling the U.S. overdose epidemic," Cassidy noted in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. "Law enforcement must have the tools necessary to combat this trend. We cannot let this Schedule I classification lapse."
From August 2021 to August 2022, nearly 108,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdoses.
The surge was primarily fueled by synthetic opioids, including illegal fentanyl, which are largely manufactured in Mexico from raw materials supplied by China.
This image shows the Chinese flag and a bag of fentanyl. (Paul Yeung/Bloomberg via Getty Images and DEA)
In 2022, there were over 50.6 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills seized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, more than doubling the amount seized in 2021.
"Cartels fuel this crisis by marketing their poison as legitimate prescription pills," said Grassley in a statement. "They also avoid regulation by chemically altering the drugs to create powerful fentanyl knock-offs."
The Trump administration closed the loophole in 2018 by temporarily classifying fentanyl-related substances under Schedule I.
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By making this classification permanent, the HALT Fentanyl Act would ensure law enforcement has the tools they need to combat the deadly drugs, its sponsors say.
Heinrich said in a statement that he is working to deliver tools that law enforcement personnel need to keep deadly fentanyl off the streets and out of communities.
"Permanently scheduling fentanyl and its analogues will help federal and local law enforcement crack down on illegal trafficking and allow prosecutors to build stronger, longer-term criminal cases," he said. "Our HALT Fentanyl Act will help stop the flow of these deadly drugs into our communities and save lives."
Sen. Martin Heinrich was one of the senators who led the reintroduction of the Halt Lethal Trafficking (HALT) Fentanyl Act. (Getty Images)
The legislation also removes barriers that impede the ability of researchers to conduct studies on fentanyl-related substances and allows for exemptions if such research provides evidence that it would be beneficial for specific substances to be classified differently than Schedule I, like for medical purposes.
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Cassidy, Grassley and Heinrich were joined by Sens. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Todd Young, R-Ind., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., John Kennedy R-La., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., in introducing the legislation.
"Americans know the carnage of fentanyl all too well. The HALT Fentanyl Act would save lives in Louisiana and across the country by empowering law enforcement to seek justice against dealers who are working with cartels to profit off feeding poison to Americans," Kennedy told Fox News Digital in his own statement.
The U.S. House of Representatives previously passed the HALT Fentanyl Act in March 2023.
