Trump signs Bill to toughen penalties for fentanyl trafficking
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WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump signed legislation that strengthens criminal penalties for fentanyl, hailing it as a “historic step toward justice” in his latest effort to address the public health crisis spurred by the deadly drug.
“Today we strike a righteous blow to the drug dealers, narcotic traffickers and criminal cartels,” Mr Trump said during a bill-signing ceremony July 16 at the White House, where he was joined by advocates from groups working to counter the epidemic, law enforcement officials and family members of people who died because of the drug.
The Halt Fentanyl Act permanently designates all fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs – the most restrictive classification – under the Controlled Substances Act.
It will result in prosecution and strengthened criminal penalties for anyone who “possesses, imports, distributes, or manufactures” illicit fentanyl-related substances similar to other Schedule I controlled drugs, according to the White House.
“Anyone caught trafficking these illicit poisons will be punished with a mandatory, 10-year minimum sentence in prison.” Mr Trump said.
“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, it’s horrible. We’re going to end it once and for all,” he added.
Mr Trump has seized on the public health crisis, using it as justification for his push to secure US borders and crack down on undocumented migration and for some of his tariffs. The president has levied additional duties on the three largest US trading partners – Canada, Mexico and China – in part over fentanyl trafficking.
Mr Trump has been particularly critical of those countries, accusing China of not doing enough to stop the manufacture of precursor chemicals used to make the drugs, and of the US’s continental neighbours for not halting the flow of fentanyl across borders.
China in June moved to tighten controls over two chemicals used to make the drug, an apparent olive branch that offered to help maintain a fragile truce between the world’s two largest economies on trade matters.
“China has been helping out. I mean, it’s been, it’s been a terrible situation for many years with fentanyl, but since I came here, we’re talking to them, and they’re making big steps,” Mr Trump told reporters earlier July 16.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid painkiller used to treat pain related to surgery or other complex conditions. It can be produced through relatively inexpensive means and distributed illegally.
Illicit fentanyl has contributed to a rise in overdose deaths in the US over the past decade, a problem that has drawn concern from both parties and offered a rare area of cooperation between Democrats and Republicans. BLOOMBERG
