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1 1 (July 29, 2025)

handle is hein.crs/gariub0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional ____ **Research Service ~~~ i~~nforming the legislative debate since 1914 ___________________ HALT Fentanyl Act Permanently Controls Fentanyl-Related Substances July 29, 2025 On July 17, 2025, President Trump signed into law the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act (HALT Fentanyl Act). Among other things, the HALT Fentanyl Act permanently placed certainfentanyl-related substances (FRS)-a class of compounds chemically related to the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl- in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Before the enactment of the HALT Fentanyl Act, FRS had been subject to temporary CSA control since February 2018. This Legal Sidebar provides an overview of FRS control and the HALT Fentanyl Act, then discusses selected considerations for Congress related to the regulation of FRS and other opioids. The CSA and Controlled Substance Regulation The CSA regulates drugs and other substances-whether medical or recreational, legally or illicitly distributed-that pose a risk of abuse and dependence. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), an agency within the Department of Justice, is the federal agency primarily responsible for implementing and enforcing the CSA. Substances become subject to the CSA through placement in one of five lists, known as Schedules I through V. Controlled substances in Schedule I are subject to the most stringent controls, as they are deemed to have a high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use. It is legal to produce, dispense, and possess Schedule I substances only in the context of federally approved scientific studies. Substances in Schedules II through V have accepted medical uses and have been deemed to pose progressively lower risks of abuse and dependence. Those substances may be used for medical purposes, generally by prescription. Anybody who handles a controlled substance, other than an ultimate user, must register with DEA and comply with CSA registration requirements, which include security and reporting obligations. Either Congress or the DEA administrator can place a substance in a CSA schedule, move a substance to a different schedule, or remove a substance from the schedules. Congress can take those scheduling actions by enacting legislation. DEA, for its part, may make permanent scheduling decisions through a formal rulemaking process and can also temporarily place substances in Schedule I on an emergency basis. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov LSB11343 CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress