The legislation ends the “cat and mouse” for prosecutors and includes synthetics that mimic fentanyl in its enforcement.
President Donald Trump signed the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl (HALT) Act into law on Wednesday. The act, sponsored by Representative Morgan Griffith of Virginia in January, permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. The president was joined by Americans who had lost sons, a daughter, and a sister to fentanyl overdose.
President Trump said, “With the signing of the HALT Fentanyl Act in just a few moments, we are delivering another defeat for the savage drug smugglers, and criminals, and the cartels.”
Over two dozen state attorneys general wrote to Congress to urge them to support the act, which addresses the surge in overdose deaths in recent years. The bill includes synthetic opioids that mimic fentanyl in its enforcement, which imposes a ten-year minimum sentence for traffickers.
“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,” South Carolina AG Alan Wilson said, adding that the new law will end what has become a game of “cat and mouse” for prosecutors.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For President Trump and members of Congress as they seek to end the opioid crisis, which has included fentanyl overdoses.
- For the president and members of his administration to receive God’s wisdom to guide their decisions and actions.
Sources: The White House, Fox News, MSN, Cleveland.com
