State attorneys general are urging Congress to permanently regulate fentanyl-related compounds in an effort to aid law enforcement in curbing the opioid epidemic.
All 56 state and territorial attorneys general, including Tim Fox of Montana and Bridget Hill of Wyoming, signed onto a letter Wednesday calling for the Senate Judiciary Committee to pass the Federal Initiative to Guarantee Health by Targeting Fentanyl Act.
The act would classify fentanyl-related compounds as controlled substances, which bill-backers say would allow the Drug Enforcement Administration to control new versions of the drug.
These fentanyl analogues are currently regulated under a temporary order that expires February 6, 2020.
Similar bills died in the U.S. House and Senate last year.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 100 times stronger than morphine. It’s already regulated as a controlled substance and prescribed as a painkiller.
Montana AG Tim Fox, who’s running for the Republican nomination for governor, was recently elected president of the National Association of Attorneys General.
