HALT Fentanyl Act
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
Signed into LawReported by Mr. Grassley, with an amendment
Passed Senate (inferred from es version)
Passed House (inferred from enr version)
Enrolled Bill (inferred from enr version)
Mr. Cassidy (for himself, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Marshall, …
Mr. Cassidy (for himself, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Marshall, …
On Passage
HALT Fentanyl Act
On Passage of the Bill S. 331
S. 331, as amended
On the Cloture Motion S. 331
Motion to Invoke Cloture: S. 331
On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed S. 331
Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Proceed to S. 331
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill permanently classifies all fentanyl-related substances (chemical variations of fentanyl) as Schedule I controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act. It also streamlines the registration process for researchers who want to study Schedule I drugs, including fentanyl, by creating expedited approval procedures and reducing bureaucratic barriers.
Who Benefits and How
Pharmaceutical researchers and academic institutions benefit by gaining faster access to Schedule I substances for federally-funded research or FDA investigational drug studies—they can begin research 30-45 days after notification instead of waiting months for full DEA approval. Research institutions can also conduct multi-site studies under a single registration and allow multiple employees to work under one researcher's registration. Law enforcement agencies benefit from permanent authority to prosecute fentanyl analog trafficking without recurring temporary scheduling.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Chemical manufacturers and distributors of fentanyl analogs face permanent Schedule I restrictions, making legal production nearly impossible without DEA manufacturing licenses. Illicit fentanyl traffickers face permanent criminal liability for possessing any structural variant of fentanyl, closing loopholes where slightly-modified analogs escaped prosecution. The pharmaceutical industry may face increased compliance costs for managing Schedule I substances, though research access is improved.
Key Provisions
- Permanently adds all fentanyl-related substances to Schedule I using a structural definition (any substance modified from fentanyl by specific chemical changes)
- Creates 30-day expedited registration for researchers already registered for Schedule I/II drugs who are conducting federally-funded or FDA-approved research
- Allows research institutions to operate under single registrations across multiple sites within the same city/county and permits multiple employees to work under one principal investigator's registration
- Permits researchers to manufacture small quantities of controlled substances for research purposes without obtaining separate manufacturing licenses
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Permanently classifies all fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I controlled substances and streamlines registration processes for researchers conducting Schedule I drug research.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Combat fentanyl trafficking by closing chemical analog loopholes while simultaneously reducing regulatory barriers for legitimate medical research on controlled substances to encourage development of addiction treatments and safer alternatives."
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_attorney_general"
- → Attorney General of the United States (head of DOJ/DEA)
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
- "the_attorney_general"
- → Attorney General of the United States (DEA authority)
- "the_secretary_of_veterans_affairs"
- → Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Any substance that is structurally related to fentanyl by one or more of the following modifications: (A) replacement of the phenyl portion of the phenethyl group by any monocycle; (B) substitution in or on the phenethyl group with alkyl, alkenyl, alkoxyl, hydroxyl, halo, haloalkyl, amino, or nitro groups; (C) substitution in or on the piperidine ring with alkyl, alkenyl, alkoxyl, ester, ether, hydroxyl, halo, haloalkyl, amino, or nitro groups; (D) replacement of the aniline ring with any aromatic monocycle; (E) replacement of the N-propionyl group with another acyl group. Excludes substances already controlled under section 201 or listed in another schedule.
Research that (A) is with respect to a drug that is the subject of an investigational use exemption under section 505(i) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; or (B) is conducted by or funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Defense, or Department of Veterans Affairs.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology