Trump Signs Fentanyl Criminalization Bill That Could...

President Donald Trump has signed a bill into law that will permanently ban
analogues of fentanyl—though it also contains provisions that would remove
barriers to conducting research into the risks and benefits of marijuana,
psychedelics and other Schedule I drugs.

The president signed the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act
on Wednesday, accompanied by his yet-to-be-confirmed pick for head of the
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Terrance Cole.

Despite the portions of the legislation that are aimed at streamlining
studies on drugs, advocates have voiced concerns about the primary intent
to criminalize people over a wider array of controlled substances.

“Today we strike a righteous blow to the drug dealers, narcotic traffickers
and criminal cartels that we’ve all been hearing so much about for so many
years, and very little has been done,” Trump said at the signing ceremony
in the White House, surrounded by people holding photos of family members
who’ve been impacted by the fentanyl crisis.

“We’ll be getting the drug dealers, pushers and peddlers off our street—and
we will not rest until we have ended the drug overdose epidemic. It’s been
getting a little bit better but it’s horrible,” he said. “With this bill,
we are officially and permanently classifying all fentanyl-related
substances as Schedule I narcotics, which is actually a very big deal. It
doesn’t sound like much. It’s a big deal.”

He added that Cole, in the audience, “better be good” as DEA administrator
if he’s ultimately confirmed by the Senate. Trump also lauded another
attendee, Sara Carter, his nominee for director of the Office of National
Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), who has voiced support for medical cannabis as
an alternative treatment option.

While the focus of the president’s speech was on fentanyl criminalization,
other components of the newly enacted law would smooth the process of
research into Schedule I drugs like marijuana.

“What we did in this bill—and I think it’s something that everybody on the
floor can be proud of—is we put into this bill the capability to do
extensive research by our research universities, by the [National
Institutes of Health and] by the [Food and Drug Administration],” Rep.
Morgan Griffith (R-VA) said ahead of the bill’s passage in the House last
month.

“This bill has the component parts to make that possible, unlike our
Schedule I on marijuana, which never allowed research, or realistic
research, and created some of the dilemmas that we have today with that
substance,” he said. “We fixed that with this bill.”

For advocates, the problem is with the crux of the legislation, which would
classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs under the
Controlled Substances Act (CSA), including analogues that haven’t been
proven to carry the same risks as the most well-known potent opioid. They
say the scheduling action would increase mandatory minimum sentences,
reflecting an outmoded war on drugs mentality that would contribute to mass
incarceration.

Some of the research provisions of the bill are similar to those contained
in a marijuana-focused measure that former President Joe Biden signed into
law in 2022.

Under the legislation, a research applicant who is actively registered with
the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to study Schedule I and II drugs
would need to have their request assessed within 30 days of sending a
notice to the Justice Department.

A non-registered applicant would have to have their submission considered
within 45 days of sending the notice.

The measure also states that research that’s being conducted or funded by
federal agencies like the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) would qualify for expedited processing.

Further, the bill says that duplicative registrations would no longer be
required for all researchers involved in an approved study of a Schedule I
substance if they’re all part of the same research institution.

However, while it would also provide for the limited manufacturing of
controlled substances by researchers, there’s a specific exemption for
cannabis with respect to the manufacturing provisions.


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Meanwhile, a retired professional football player who’s since become an
advocate for marijuana policy reform recently met with top Trump
administration officials at the White House to discuss the ongoing federal
cannabis rescheduling process.

This month, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) again notified an
agency judge that the marijuana rescheduling process remains stalled under
the Trump administration.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F.
Kennedy Jr. was previously vocal about his support for legalizing cannabis,
as well as psychedelics therapy. But during his Senate confirmation process
in February, he said that he would defer to DEA on marijuana rescheduling in
his new role.

Separately, former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) was reportedly photographed
reviewing a document that appears to be a draft contract to provide
services—including “administration-related guidance”—to a firm affiliated
with the major marijuana company Trulieve. The visible portion of the
document describes a lucrative bonus if a certain “matter resolves,” with
an “additional ‘Super Success Fee’” for other “exclusive policy remedies.”

Last month, the former congressman reiterated his own support for
rescheduling cannabis—suggesting in an interview with a Florida Republican
lawmaker that the GOP could win more of the youth vote by embracing
marijuana reform.

Gaetz also said last month that Trump’s endorsement of a Schedule III
reclassification was essentially an attempt to shore up support among young
voters rather than a sincere reflection of his personal views about
cannabis.

A survey conducted by a GOP pollster affiliated with Trump that was
released in April found that a majority of Republicans back a variety of
cannabis reforms, including rescheduling. And, notably, they’re even more
supportive of allowing states to legalize marijuana without federal
interference compared to the average voter.

Meanwhile, Trump picked former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) to
run DOJ, and the Senate confirmed that choice. During her confirmation
hearings, Bondi declined to say how she planned to navigate key marijuana
policy issues. And as state attorney general, she opposed efforts to
legalize medical cannabis.

Amid the stalled marijuana rescheduling process that’s carried over from
the last presidential administration, congressional researchers recently
reiterated that lawmakers could enact the reform themselves with “greater
speed and flexibility” if they so choose, while potentially avoiding
judicial challenges.

Meanwhile, a newly formed coalition of professional athletes and
entertainers, led by retired boxer Mike Tyson, sent a letter to Trump on
Friday—thanking him for past clemency actions while emphasizing the
opportunity he has to best Biden by rescheduling marijuana, expanding
pardons and freeing up banking services for licensed cannabis businesses.

*Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore.*

The post Trump Signs Fentanyl Criminalization Bill That Could Also Open Up
Research On Marijuana, Psychedelics And Other Schedule I Drugs appeared
first on Marijuana Moment.