Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is calling on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to extend temporary restrictions on fentanyl analogues that are driving overdose deaths during the opioid epidemic. In a letter this week, Grassley pressed Schumer to advance an extension that provides necessary time for Congress and the administration to work toward a more permanent solution to address rapidly evolving opioid analogues.
“A sufficiently lengthy extension is necessary for the Administration interagency and Congressional partners to come together on how to schedule fentanyl-related substances in balance with criminal justice and research equities. Additionally, we must ensure ample time for the new Administration to build its staff, develop internal goals and strategies, and report to Congress – either through hearings or briefings – on its progress,” Grassley said.
On Monday, Grassley introduced bipartisan legislation to extend the temporary authority to add substances substantially similar to fentanyl to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. In 2020, Congress extended this authority through May 6, 2021, with unanimous support in the Senate.
Grassley’s letter to Schumer is available HERE.
Original source can be found here.
