PRESS RELEASE – Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of Fentanyl Act, sending the bill to the president’s desk.
“Fentanyl-related substances stole the lives of more than 3,500 Ohioans in 2023 alone. The HALT Fentanyl Act would permanently classify fentanyl analogs as a Schedule 1 substance, empowering law enforcement to get this deadly drug off Ohio streets and save lives.”
“We must stop the flow of fentanyl onto our soil and lock up the criminals who are flooding our communities with that poison,” said Husted.
Husted helped pass the HALT Fentanyl Act in the Senate on March 14, 2025. The bill passed the House of Representatives on June 12, 2025.
The bipartisan, bicameral bill would make the temporary class-wide scheduling order for fentanyl-related substances permanent, which would close a dangerous loophole that drug traffickers continue to exploit.
In 2023, fentanyl was responsible for 95% of the opioid related deaths in Ohio.
President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget has confirmed that, if Congress passes the bill, the president will sign it.