Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act

The law applies federal fentanyl trafficking penalties to a broad class of substances and streamlines how approved researchers may study them.

What the law does ​

• Places fentanyl-related substances meeting specified structural criteria in Schedule I unless exempted or separately scheduled.
• Applies existing federal fentanyl penalties to trafficking, importing, and exporting covered substances.
• Allows the Attorney General to publish a non-exhaustive list of covered substances.
• Expedites registration for certain federally supported or authorized Schedule I research, including a 30-day notice process and a 45-day decision deadline.
• Lets qualifying institutions use one registration for certain researchers and nearby sites, continue some newly restricted research, and manufacture small quantities for research.
• Requires the Attorney General to issue implementing rules within six months, with the law’s changes effective upon enactment.

Who it affects ​

• People who traffic, import, or export covered fentanyl-related substances.
• Researchers and institutions conducting federally supported or authorized Schedule I research.
• Federal drug-control and law-enforcement officials implementing the classification and registration rules.

Breakdown ​

Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act ​

The HALT Fentanyl Act permanently places a broadly defined class of fentanyl-related substances in Schedule I unless a substance is exempted or placed in another schedule. It applies federal fentanyl trafficking penalties to those substances while simplifying registration and related requirements for certain Schedule I research.

Key takeaways

• Fentanyl-related substances meeting specified structural criteria are classified as Schedule I unless they are exempted or separately placed in another schedule.
• The Attorney General may publish a list of covered fentanyl-related substances, but a substance can be controlled even if it does not appear on that list.
• Existing federal fentanyl penalties apply to trafficking, importing, and exporting covered fentanyl-related substances.
• Certain federally supported or federally authorized Schedule I research qualifies for expedited registration procedures, including a 30-day notice process for already registered researchers and a 45-day decision deadline for other applicants.
• The Act allows qualifying institutions to use one registration for certain researchers and nearby research sites, continue some research when a substance is newly placed in Schedule I, and conduct small-scale manufacturing needed for research.
• The Attorney General must issue implementing rules within six months, while the Act’s changes apply from its enactment date.