HALT Fentanyl Act Signed into Law as DEA Updates on Drug Seizures Under President Trump
President Trump signed legislation designed to curb the spread of fentanyl related substances (FRS) in the United States.
The president signed the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl (HALT Fentanyl) Act at a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, surrounded by members of Congress and families who lost loved ones to the synthetic opioid.
The HALT Fentanyl Act permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. They had been temporarily scheduled as Schedule I since 2018 with that designation set to expire in about a month.
That means that all fentanyl related substances, including copycat versions of the drug, will be permanently placed on the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) list of most dangerous drugs. It also makes it easier to prosecute those who peddle the fentanyl knockoffs.
“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,” said President Trump.
The act passed with bipartisan support in both houses of Congress. One of the sponsors, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), says it will give “law enforcement one more tool to attack this problem.”
Yet some question what will actually change, given that fentanyl related substances have been provisionally on the Schedule I list for seven years.
“We are in an unprecedented opioid and overdose crisis and yet it is deeply concerning to see the country continue to turn to failed drug policies that are not evidence based,” Brown University assistant professor of medicine Ju Nyeong Park told the Washington Post.
Drug Seizures for 2025
The HALT Fentanyl Act signing comes as the Department of Justice (DOJ) gave an update on drug seizures so far under the second Trump Administration.
DOJ says DEA seized approximately 44 million fentanyl pills, 4,500 pounds of fentanyl powder, nearly 65,000 pounds of methamphetamine, more than 201,500 pounds of cocaine, and made over 2,105 fentanyl-related arrests since President Trump took office.
“DEA is hitting the cartels where it hurts—with arrests, with seizures, and with relentless pressure,” said DEA Acting Administrator Robert Murphy. “We are dismantling these networks piece by piece—and we won't stop until the last brick of their empire falls.”