Mr. Chair, today I will vote in support of H.R. 467, the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act. This legislation permanently classifies all fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I…
Mr. Chair, today I will vote in support of H.R. 467, the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act. This legislation permanently classifies all fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act, and it allows for expedited research into these substances.
While H.R. 467 is not perfect, it takes needed steps to help save lives and reduce the supply and availability of illicitly manufactured fentanyl-related substances.
As President Biden has stated, placing fentanyl-related substances into Schedule I will provide law enforcement with the resources they need to tackle the manufacturing and trafficking of fentanyl-related substances. It will also close loopholes that allow drug traffickers to evade the law by altering the chemical makeup of fentanyl.
In addition, H.R. 467's provisions to expand research into fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances will improve our understanding of these substances, including increasing the potential of finding more effective treatments for overdose victims.
But let me be clear: H.R. 467 is a blunt instrument--it does not do enough to comprehensively address the fentanyl crisis. Instead of working with congressional Democrats to put together a bipartisan bill to comprehensively tackle this crisis, the House Republican majority chose to write this bill in a partisan fashion.
As a result, H.R. 467 leaves out important solutions for addressing the fentanyl crisis, including expanding access to treatment, testing, and education. That's why I'm a cosponsor of H.R. 3375, the STOP Fentanyl Overdoses Act, a bipartisan bill to expand access to overdose reversal medications, like Narcan, and offer medication treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) to incarcerated individuals to prevent relapses.
Most people who die from a fentanyl overdose don't know that what they're consuming could be life-threatening. That's why I'm a cosponsor of the bipartisan H.R. 3563, the Secure Testing Resources Instead of Prosecuting (STRIP) Act, which would allow for wider access to fentanyl test strips to help avoid preventable overdoses and deaths.
Tragically, fentanyl-related overdose deaths have impacted far too many families in my congressional district and across the country. Youth drug overdose deaths have more than doubled nationwide since 2019, and they have more than tripled in Oregon during that same time period. This is mainly due to the rapid spread of illicitly manufactured fentanyl.
One death by overdose is one too many.
We must be proactive in educating youth in our communities about the dangers of fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances. That's why I was proud to join Oregon's Congressional delegation in sending a letter urging the Department of Education to increase fentanyl awareness and drug-prevention education in schools.
If the Senate takes up H.R. 467, I encourage Senators to work in a bipartisan fashion to improve this bill and add more comprehensive solutions to address the fentanyl crisis.
Fentanyl overdoses do not fall on party lines. Neither should legislation to stop it. We must pass a bill into law as soon as possible in order to prevent more deaths from fentanyl overdose.
