Fitzpatrick-Backed Opioid Bill Targets Deadly Fentanyl

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bill in Congress co-sponsored by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, of Bucks County, takes aim at the deadly opioid, fentanyl.

The bipartisan Extend Act, which Fitzpatrick, a Republican, co-sponsored with Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster, of New Hampshire, would help the federal Drug Enforcement Administration continue to treat fentanyl as a dangerous Schedule I drug.

The drug's status as Schedule I is set to expire in February 2020. The new legislation, from the co-chairs of the bipartisan Opioid Taskforce Roundtable, would extend the status to February 2022.

Schedule I substances are defined by the federal government as drugs with no currently acceptable medical use and high potential for abuse. They are the most dangerous drugs and being categorized as Schedule I gives law enforcement and other agencies more leeway to crack down on them.

"Fentanyl is a manufactured opioid which, especially in its illicit versions, is extremely dangerous and illegal imports of these synthetic opioids has spiked in the past three years," Fitzpatrick said in a new release. "Our nation's drug epidemic is a complicated issue and our response must be multi-faceted. The DEA needs to keep fighting these substances on the front lines and the Extend Act will maintain a valuable tool for them to utilize."

According to the DEA, fentanyl-related substances are 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin. That makes fentanyl harder to detect since it can be distributed in smaller amounts, officials say.

In February 2018, the DEA placed all fentanyl-related substances under Schedule I on a temporary basis for a two-year period.

"Synthetic opioids are extremely potent and new formulations continue to be more and more lethal – fentanyl and other illicit compounds have caused substantial harm in communities in New Hampshire and across the country," Kuster said in the release. "This legislation will help ensure the Drug Enforcement Agency has the tools it needs to address the increasing prevalence of dangerous synthetics that pose a threat to public health and safety."

This action includes all fentanyl analogues as part of that class of drugs. Fentanyl analogues have additions or substitutions to the core molecule as described under the DEA temporary scheduling of fentanyl-related substances.

Due to the large number of possible variations to the fentanyl molecule, there is a wide variance in potency. The bipartisan Extend Act would provide an additional two years for Congress and federal agencies to come up with a solution that permanently prevents fentanyl-like substances from falling out of law enforcement’s control.