Ohio lawmaker leading effort to crack down on synthetic fentanyl analogs

WASHINGTON, D.C. — An Ohio lawmaker is leading an effort to crack down on synthetic variants of fentanyl, the latest salvo in the battle against opioid abuse, which has killed more than 640,000 Americans since 1999.

The HALT Fentanyl Act would permanently classify fentanyl analogs—drugs that have a slightly different chemical structure but similar effects—as Schedule I drugs. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) defines drugs in that category, such as heroin and marijuana, as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”

“The fentanyl coming across the, mainly the southern border, about 16,000 pounds last year, it can kill every American,” said Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, one of two original co-sponsors of the HALT Fentanyl Act.

Latta wrote in an op-ed that the bill would help law enforcement crack down on traffickers producing fentanyl analogs in order to get around bans on fentanyl. Currently, penalties for trafficking analogs are not as severe as those for traditional fentanyl.

In addition, he said, the measure fits into President Donald Trump’s agenda to secure the southern U.S. border.

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