Trump signs HALT Fentanyl Act with 10-year minimum sentence for traffickers
WASHINGTON, D. C. – Flanked by parents holding photos of loved ones who died from drug overdoses, President Donald Trump signed legislation Wednesday that will boost penalties for fentanyl trafficking.
The “Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of Fentanyl Act” co-authored by Bowling Green Republican Rep. Bob Latta permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act.
Before signing the bill, Trump described it as “another defeat for the savage drug smugglers and criminals and the cartels.
“It’s a big deal, as they will tell you, meaning, anyone caught trafficking these illicit poisons will be punished with a mandatory, 10-year minimum sentence in prison,” Trump said. “We’ll be getting the drug dealers, pushers and peddlers off our street, and we will not rest until we have ended the drug overdose epidemic.”
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over the past five years, more than 324,000 fentanyl-related deaths have been recorded in the United States.
Several parents whose children were killed by fentanyl spoke in favor of the legislation before Trump signed it.
Michigan’s Greg Swan said he felt his life was “gutted” when his son, Drew, died from an overdose.
“There’s despair and there’s hopelessness, but we’ve been able to find some repose in going out and advocating,” said Swan.
In a speech on the U.S. House of Representatives floor, Latta said fentanyl poisoning is the top cause of death in the United States among adults aged 18 to 49, exceeding car crashes, cancer and heart disease.
In 2023, Ohio saw 4,452 unintentional drug overdoses, according to a state report issued in October. About 78% of those involved fentanyl or its analogs.
“Cartels are literally killing Americans for 10 cents a pill,” Latta said on the House of Representatives floor. “This is about victims getting justice.”
Latta and other supporters of the bill stressed the permanent designation wouldn’t prevent medical researchers from studying medical uses for the roughly 4,800 fentanyl analogs that exist, and wouldn’t stop medical providers from using it to treat patients.
Latta attended the signing ceremony in the East Room of the White House along with GOP U.S. Reps. Mike Carey of Columbus, Troy Balderson of Zanesville, and Michael Rulli of Salem.
“Far too many Ohio families have grieved the loss of a loved one to fentanyl-related overdoses,” said a statement from U.S. Sen. Jon Husted of the Columbus area. “With the HALT Fentanyl Act now law, our law enforcement heroes can crack down on criminal drug cartels, get this drug off our streets and prevent more families from experiencing these unimaginable tragedies.”
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