TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Attorney General Ashley Moody has joined an effort in urging Congress to pass a bill — the Federal Initiative to Guarantee Health by Targeting Fentanyl Act — to permanently classify fentanyl as a Schedule 1 substance.
“Passing Senate Bill 2701 will help Florida better combat the opioid crisis,” Moody said.
A Florida Medical Examiner’s Annual Report of 2018 showed fentanyl caused the most drug-related deaths, and those deaths increased by 35% over 2017’s numbers.
News4Jax consumer investigator Lauren Verno’s father suffered from addiction for more than a decade. Following his death, she looked into a new drug doctors say dealers are using to keep people addicted.
Though the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency issued a temporary order that classifies fentanyl-related compounds as Schedule 1 drugs in February of this year, the order is set to expire on Feb. 6, 2020.
The FIGHT Fentanyl Act would keep fentanyl-related substances classified as Schedule 1 drugs.
“Federal scheduling of fentanyl will help continue the reduction in the supply by ensuring that our law enforcement agencies and courts have the tools they need to keep those who peddle this lethal substance off our streets,” Moody said.
Click here to view the full letter sent to the leaders of the U.S. Senate urging passage of the bill.