House Passes Bill That Would Make Fentanyl a Schedule I Drug

A Drug Enforcement Administration chemist pours 2,500 packs of confirmed fentanyl onto a counter for testing at the DEA Northeast Regional Laboratory in New York on Oct. 8, 2019. Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images

In an effort to combat the deadly opioid crisis, the House of Representatives passed the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of Fentanyl Act on May 25.

Passing 289–133, the bipartisan legislation would strengthen penalties for fentanyl trafficking and was supported by President Joe Biden. Fentanyl would be listed as a Schedule I narcotic under the Controlled Substances Act.