LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — AG Dana Nessel has joined up with every single other Attorneys General in the U.S. to urge that the drug fentanyl remain a Schedule I drug.
Under U.S. law, Schedule I drugs are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and possess a high potential for abuse.
“I am proud to stand with each one of my colleagues today as we fight to protect our residents from the irreparable damage fentanyl-related substances continue to cause,” Nessel said in a statement. “I would like to thank the Attorney General of Ohio, Dave Yost for not only taking the lead on this letter with me, but for proving to this nation that when it comes to humanity and keeping our residents safe, party affiliation doesn’t play a role.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 40% of the 72,000 drug-related deaths involved fentanyl or a fentanyl-related compound in 2017.
The Attorneys General encourage Congress to pass S.2701, the Federal Initiative to Guarantee Health by Targeting (FIGHT) Fentanyl Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Joe Manchin (D-WV). The AG’s submitted the bill via a letter to Congress.
“I appreciate Ohio Attorney General Yost and Michigan Attorney General Nessel leading all of our country’s Attorneys General in urging Congress to pass the FIGHT Fentanyl Act, my bipartisan legislation to permanently criminalize fentanyl-related substances in the United States,” said Senator Portman. “Fentanyl knows no zip code and is devastating individuals and families all across the country. This bipartisan legislation is vital to our efforts to keep fentanyl out of our communities and I urge my colleagues in Congress listen to our attorneys general and join in supporting this common-sense legislation.”
The AG’s say that the FIGHT Fentanyl Act will ensure law enforcement agencies and courts retain the tools needed to keep those who traffic in this deadly substance off the streets.
A temporary scheduling order – to schedule fentanyl-related substances – was previously issued in February 2018 by The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and has allowed federal law enforcement authorities to bring criminal actions against individuals who manufacture, distribute or handle fentanyl-related substances.
This scheduling order is set to expire less than two months from now on Feb. 6, 2020. The FIGHT Fentanyl Act would seal fentanyl as a Schedule I compound.
Since the measure has the support of every U.S. AG, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) has chosen to endorse the legislation as one of its official policy positions.
The organization says that this type of endorsement typically only occurs about a dozen times per year.
A copy of the letter can be read online here.
