Trump-signed fentanyl law will end ‘cat and mouse’ with traffickers, state attorneys general say
President Donald Trump signed a bill into law on Wednesday that classifies fentanyl-related drugs as more dangerous substances as part of the president’s broader crackdown on the country’s opioid epidemic.
The bill, called the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of Fentanyl Act, was a Republican-led effort but gained wide bipartisan support in the House and Senate.
It places fentanyl-related substances permanently into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, which means crimes related to the illicit drugs will require prison sentences.
More than two dozen Republican state attorneys general previously urged Congress to pass the bill, calling it “vital” to addressing a “cataclysmic surge of overdose deaths” in the United States in a letter to congressional leaders.
SENATE PASSES HALT FENTANYL ACT TO PERMANENTLY RECLASSIFY ALL FENTANYL-RELATED SUBSTANCES
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson told Fox News Digital just before Trump signed the bill that even though laws already impose mandatory minimum prison sentences for drug traffickers who sell fentanyl, the bill addresses fentanyl analogues, which are synthetic opioids similar in structure to the original drug.
“When a Chinese chemist or a Mexican cartel chemist changes one molecule, changes one component of the fentanyl drug, they actually make it difficult for federal prosecutors to go after them,” Wilson said, adding that the new law will end what has become a game of “cat and mouse” for prosecutors.
Schedule I drugs are those that have no government-approved medical use. Fentanyl analogues had been temporarily classified under that schedule, but the new bill permanently codifies it.
Opioids and synthetic opioids are the top two causes of drug overdose deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drug overdoses declined in 2024 but still remain the leading cause of death for Americans 18–44 years old, according to the agency.
Critics of the HALT Fentanyl Act, who include some Democrats and civil rights groups, warned that harmless substances that do not warrant mandatory prison time could get swept up in the “fentanyl analogue” category and that the bill does nothing to address the root causes of substance abuse.
“It’s shocking that lawmakers still believe we can police our way out of a public health crisis — despite over fifty years of evidence to the contrary,” Liz Komar, counsel at the Sentencing Project, said in a statement.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird supported the stricter sentencing practices, telling Fox News Digital she has witnessed firsthand as the top cop in her state how “those sentences protect victims” and “help get justice for victims, for our communities.”
“I really think the only people that could be against [the HALT Fentanyl Act] would be the drug cartels, because they have so much to lose by us cracking down on fentanyl and the money that they make by poisoning thousands of Americans,” Bird said.
Among those attending Trump’s bill signing in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday were several of the attorneys general, congressional leaders, immigration groups and families who have lost loved ones to addictions and overdoses.
FATHER WHOSE SON DIED FROM FENTANYL WARNS ‘OVERDOSES CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE’
Gregory Swan spoke about his son Drew, who died from a fentanyl overdose at 24 years old. He was prescribed painkillers after a sports injury, which spurred his addiction.
“It’s the honor of my life to be here,” Swan said while holding a framed picture of his son. “Drew was — the happiest day of my life was when he was born, and he always called me his hero until the day he died. And his passing ruined, I thought, my life. … There is despair and there’s hopelessness. But, we’ve been able to find some repose in going out and advocating.”
The new bill came as part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to curb overdose deaths and stem the flow of illegal drugs into the country.
Just one day prior, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Acting Drug Enforcement Administrator Robert Murphy announced recent major drug bust operations and an update on their seizures of fentanyl, widely known for being highly potent in minuscule doses. Authorities warn that overdoses can occur because more innocuous drugs, such as Adderall, can be laced with it, unbeknownst to the consumer.
The DEA has this year seized over 44 million fentanyl pills and 4,500 pounds of fentanyl powder, Bondi said, adding that federal authorities have made 2,105 fentanyl-related arrests.
“I want to remind all Americans to exercise extreme caution: a pill can kill,” the attorney general said.
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