WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05), Dean of the House, voted for the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of Fentanyl Act to crack down on drug traffickers across the country and provide law enforcement with the tools necessary to help keep fentanyl-related substances off of American streets. 

Congressman Rogers cosponsored the bipartisan HALT Fentanyl Act, which passed the House on Thursday. The legislation permanently classifies chemically altered fentanyl substances as Schedule I drugs, closing a dangerous loophole before the temporary designation expires on March 31, 2025. Without the permanent classification, the penalty for trafficking the altered fentanyl substances is not as severe as those for traditional fentanyl. 

"In Kentucky, we've seen the painful result of deadly fentanyl poisoning in our communities. In fact, nearly 80% of all overdose deaths in the Commonwealth were a result of fentanyl poisoning in 2023. We must do more to keep these chemically-altered drugs from coming across our borders and getting into our communities," said Congressman Rogers, founder of Operation UNITE and the national Rx and Illicit Drug Summit. "The House passed this bill two years ago, but Senate Democrats refused to bring it to a vote. With Republicans now leading the Senate, I'm hopeful that we can get this vital legislation passed before the designation expires."

Accidental fentanyl poisonings are the number one cause of death among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, more than cancer, heart disease and car accidents. Fentanyl-related substances can be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, with only a few milligrams becoming lethal. 

In 2018, under the first Trump Administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration first temporarily classified fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs. This bill would make the classification and penalties permanent. The legislation now moves on to the U.S. Senate for consideration. 

Click here to read the bill.

For more information about Congressman Rogers' work in Washington and at home in Kentucky, visit halrogers.house.gov and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.