Hillsborough Sun

On May 25, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), a leader in the House of Representatives on tackling fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, issued the following statement after voting to pass legislation that would permanently schedule fentanyl analogues.

“Last year, my hometown of Manchester saw a 22% increase in opioid-related overdoses and a 41% increase in opioid-related deaths. This reality makes clear that we must do more to confront this crisis, stop the trafficking of fentanyl and its analogues, and support those suffering from substance use disorder,” said Congressman Pappas. “These substances are increasingly identified in the illicit drug supply, and we know fentanyl has made this crisis ever more deadly. That’s why I have continually fought to ensure that these substances stay in Schedule I where they belong. We must give law enforcement the tools to get these drugs off the streets, hold traffickers accountable, and save lives.”

“This legislation alone will not end this crisis. We still need to do more to stop trafficking on the dark web, invest in technology that will stop precursor chemicals from coming across our borders, and increase resources for people in recovery. This is a critical step we must take, and I urge the Senate to swiftly take up this legislation.”

Pappas has repeatedly secured the extension of temporary scheduling legislation while continuing to fight for these provisions to be made permanent, and for additional action to be taken to hold traffickers of fentanyl, fentanyl-related substances, and other deadly drugs accountable for the harm they have caused.

In May 2021, President Biden signed into law legislation introduced by Pappas to extend the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) temporary order to keep fentanyl analogues in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act to ensure law enforcement can keep them off the streets. This is a designation used for substances with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

At Pappas’s urging, fiscal year 2022 appropriations included his bipartisan legislation to extend this authority through December 31, 2022, to ensure there would be no lapse in scheduling. He again secured the extension of this legislation in fiscal year 2023 appropriations, which lasts through December 31, 2024, giving Congress time to pass permanent scheduling legislation into law.

Issues: Combating the Opioid Epidemic

Original source can be found here.