by President Donald Trump signed the HALT Fentanyl Act into law Wednesday afternoon, enacting sweeping changes aimed at closing legal loopholes in the fight against the nation’s deadly opioid crisis. The legislation, backed by Republican lawmakers, permanently classifies fentanyl and all related substances as Schedule I narcotics, elevating the federal response to trafficking and misuse.
“Today, we strike a righteous blow to the drug dealers, narcotic traffickers, and criminal cartels,” Trump said during the signing ceremony. “We’ll be getting the drug dealers, peddlers, and pushers off our streets, and we will not rest until we have ended the drug overdose epidemic.”
The HALT Fentanyl Act codifies a 2018 temporary order by the Drug Enforcement Administration and closes a major loophole that allowed traffickers to produce chemically altered fentanyl variants that previously fell outside the scope of federal law.
In addition to reclassification, the law enforces mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years for those convicted of trafficking or distributing fentanyl-related substances and encourages scientific research on Schedule I drugs, which are considered to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
Fentanyl had previously been a Schedule II drug, legally prescribed for severe pain but widely abused for its potency. Public health experts say just two milligrams can be lethal.
While supporters hail the law as a necessary step to combat a crisis that claimed over 52,000 lives in 2024 alone, critics—mostly Democratic lawmakers and public health advocates—warn the law could undermine treatment efforts and hinder development of overdose reversal drugs like naloxone.
“This is a public health emergency, not just a criminal justice issue,” said one Democratic lawmaker who opposed the bill. “Mandatory minimums have historically failed to address the root causes of addiction.”
Despite the criticism, the Trump administration has made cracking down on synthetic opioids a cornerstone of its policy agenda since taking office in January. The administration has declared Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, stepped up border enforcement, and directed the Department of Justice to pursue the harshest penalties for fentanyl-related offenses.
According to the administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has seized over 400,000 pounds of fentanyl, conducted dozens of international drug busts, and achieved what it calls the lowest level of illegal border crossings in American history.
ICE has also arrested and deported thousands of undocumented immigrants accused of serious crimes, sparking nationwide protests from immigrant rights groups and civil liberties advocates.
With the HALT Fentanyl Act now law, enforcement agencies will have expanded authority to act against traffickers, while states and health providers brace for how the law’s implementation could reshape both the justice system and the future of addiction treatment in the U.S.
