New Law Aims To Tackle North Dakota’s Fentanyl Crisis

The HALT Fentanyl Act was signed into law on Wednesday President Donald Trump at the White House with North Dakota's Governor Kelly Armstrong in attendance.

This law puts fentanyl-related drugs under the same rigorous regulations as other Schedule 1 drugs like heroin. Armstrong was one of the first people to support an earlier version of the measure that was submitted in the 117th Congress in 2022.

The HALT (Halt All Lethal Trafficking of) Fentanyl Act changes the Controlled Substances Act so that fake fentanyl is always classified as a Schedule 1 drug. In 2018, the first Trump administration put a temporary Schedule 1 classification on all fentanyl-related compounds, which Congress has since prolonged many times. The bill that was signed today makes the classification permanent, although it still lets the FDA approve the use of Schedule II fentanyl for real medical reasons.

“Fentanyl is killing North Dakotans in communities across our state. Classifying fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule 1 drug will close off dangerous loopholes that can be exploited by traffickers, treating the drug with the severity it deserves,” Armstrong said. “I was proud to work with Rep. Griffith and Rep. Latta on this bill during my time in the House, and I thank them for getting it through this Congress. Thank you to President Trump and the White House for inviting me to the bill signing.”

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The Senate Judiciary Committee says that the HALT Fentanyl Act also makes it easier for scientists to register to study fentanyl-related chemicals. Senators Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who is the committee's chairman, wrote the bill. Reps. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., and Robert Latta, R-Ohio, were in charge of the bill in the House.