Rep. Mann Votes to Increase Penalties for Trafficking Fentanyl

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (KS-01) voted to advance H.R. 27, the Halt All Legal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act, which permanently classifies fentanyl and related substances as a Schedule I drug. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, in 2023, 70% of overdose deaths in the U.S. involved a synthetic opioid like fentanyl. The HALT Fentanyl Act gives law enforcement more resources and tools to combat and deter fentanyl trafficking while increasing penalties for the possession and sale of the illicit drug. Rep. Mann released this statement following the vote:

“Nearly 150 Americans die each day due to fentanyl overdoses,” said Rep. Mann. “This is not normal, and it is a national security crisis. The country gave Washington, D.C. a mandate to seriously address the drug trafficking happening at our southern border. Today, House Republicans voted to deliver on that mandate by increasing penalties for possessing and selling fentanyl, giving law enforcement the correct tools to combat this deadly drug trade, and holding criminals accountable for the deadly toll they’ve inflicted on our nation. The cartels and fentanyl traffickers need to know that American lives are not up for grabs.”

The HALT Fentanyl Act would put the drug in the same legal category as heroin, PCP, and crack cocaine. The bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 312-108.

H.R. 27 will now go the U.S. Senate for further consideration.

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