Bill > S331

This bill, known as the HALT Fentanyl Act, aims to comprehensively address the regulation of fentanyl-related substances by expanding the Controlled Substances Act. The bill establishes a broad definition of "fentanyl-related substances" that covers chemical variations of fentanyl, effectively creating a class-wide scheduling approach to control these potentially dangerous drugs. It provides the Attorney General the ability to publish a list of substances matching the definition and creates an expedited research registration process for practitioners studying these substances, including simplified procedures for researchers at universities, government agencies, and those with investigational drug exemptions. The bill also modifies existing regulations to make research registration easier, allowing researchers to conduct studies across multiple sites under a single registration and perform limited manufacturing activities coincident to their research. Additionally, the legislation introduces new penalties for trafficking fentanyl-related substances, matching existing penalties for analogous substances, and requires the Attorney General to issue implementing rules within six months of enactment. The bill is designed to provide more comprehensive legal tools to combat the proliferation of dangerous fentanyl variants while simultaneously facilitating legitimate scientific research.

Justice

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/331/all-info