Austin News

February 28, 2025

In a recent Senate Judiciary Committee session, U.S. Senator John Cornyn from Texas criticized Democrats for delaying the consideration of the Halt Lethal Trafficking (HALT) Fentanyl Act. The proposed legislation aims to permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act. Despite the contentious debate, Sen. Cornyn supported the bill, which was eventually approved by the committee.

Senator Cornyn highlighted the urgency of addressing fentanyl poisoning, noting its status as "the leading cause of death for young people between the age of 18 and 45." He expressed frustration over what he sees as unnecessary delays in legislative action, comparing it to watching a house burn while debating firefighting methods: "The longer we dither over some of the fine points of chemistry on this bill, that it’s like watching the house burn down and suggesting maybe we need to use a different sort of hose to put out the fire."

He further emphasized that extensive research has already been conducted on fentanyl-related substances over six decades. According to him, "this bill just says any substance that is related to fentanyl would be scheduled as a dangerous drug and would be prohibited from sale."

Cornyn stressed the critical need for swift action: "The longer we delay in the permanent scheduling of these fentanyl-related substances, the more people are simply just going to die."