JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Schmitt today joined a bipartisan coalition of all 56 attorneys general in calling for Congress to permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs.
Schedule I drugs are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
“Fentanyl-related deaths are continuing to ravage our communities. Because of the immediate danger fentanyl-related substances pose across the country, including in Missouri, keeping those substances as a Schedule I drug is crucial – this classification allows law enforcement to continue to hold accountable illegal manufacturers and distributors of these potent and deadly drugs,” said Attorney General Schmitt.
“Fentanyl-related deaths are continuing to ravage our communities. Because of the immediate danger fentanyl-related substances pose across the country, including in Missouri, keeping those substances as a Schedule I drug is crucial – this classification allows law enforcement to continue to hold accountable illegal manufacturers and distributors of these potent and deadly drugs,” said Attorney General Schmitt.
In the letter, the Attorneys General urge Congress to pass S. 2701, the Federal Initiative to Guarantee Health by Targeting (FIGHT) Fentanyl Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Joe Manchin (D-WV).
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a temporary scheduling order in February 2018 to schedule fentanyl-related substances that has allowed federal law enforcement authorities to bring criminal actions against individuals who manufacture, distribute or handle fentanyl-related substances. This scheduling order is set to expire less than two months from now on Feb. 6, 2020. The FIGHT Fentanyl Act codifies DEA precedent to schedule fentanyl-related substances.
The FIGHT Fentanyl Act will ensure law enforcement agencies and courts retain the tools needed to keep those who traffic in this deadly substance off the streets.
In the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 72,000 drug-related deaths in the United States in 2017. Of those deaths, roughly 40% involved fentanyl or a fentanyl-related compound.
Attorneys general from every state, territory and the District of Columbia signed the letter.
With the support of every Attorney General, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) has chosen to endorse the legislation as one of its official policy positions. NAAG typically endorses around a dozen policies a year.
3 comments:
Is this headline correct?
The linked letter references only "fentanyl-related compounds" as those being established as Schedule I drugs by S 2701. Likewise, the text of S 2701 (view at https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/2701/text) mentions only "fentanyl-related substances", and not the drug Fentanyl as it is used in its various forms by medical professionals.
As the linked NAAG letter states: As you are likely aware, the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) temporary order classifying fentanyl-related compounds as Schedule I drugs is set to expire on February 6, 2020. The FIGHT Fentanyl Act would codify this temporary order, keeping fentanyl-related substances classified as Schedule I drugs.
Despite it's medical properties, it needs to be rescscheduled. My community has been destroyed by opiates/opioids and that was before all the Mexican fent was around. It's amazing how quickly they are to schedule marijuana as class 1 but not the fentanyl. Sad.
@ 8:17- whether or not you think Fentanyl needs to be rescheduled, the plain english of the bill and the NAAG letter clearly don't refer to Fentanyl. They reference only the rescheduling of all the related substances which are being manufactured for illict distribution channels in the US.
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