Lawmakers are pushing the HALT Fentanyl Act as the solution to the overdose crisis. Experts warn it will fall short The bill would increases penalties, but doesn’t address addiction treatment

https://www.statnews.com/2025/03/24/halt-fentanyl-act-bipartisan-congressional-support-but-experts-have-questions/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9E2ioNiReZ-is7LqMfToyBdIbMT2f4H2-OKmhCrmRpEZ-n6VsRzpdirmmXqBNOslUzw7QENqPrC8d0A4djhRQjNlPW4Q&_hsmi=353208413&utm_content=353208413&utm_source=hs_email This bill has bipartisan support — but scientific experts question it Earlier this month, the U.S. Senate easily passed the HALT Fentanyl Act, which focuses on increasing penalties for fentanyl-related substances (FRS). Much less prevalent than the drug itself, FRS have slightly different chemical structure but provide comparable effects. Supporters of the bill say that cracking down on these other substances is necessary to address the opioid crisis. But experts see a few key problems. “The thing that is killing people right now when it comes to drug overdose is that there is fentanyl — not fentanyl analogs — illegally manufactured, unregulated fentanyl in the streets,” Travis Rieder, a program director at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, told STAT contributor Samanta Habashy. Nevermind the lack of evidence (as discussed in a previous issue of this newsletter) around targeting the supply of drugs as a way to reduce drug use or drug-related health problems. Read more from Habashy about what the experts had to say.