AG Moody Urges Congress to Pass FIGHT Fentanyl Act

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is urging Congressional leaders to enact the Federal Initiative to Guarantee Health by Targeting Fentanyl Act. U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan filed the Act, HR 3269, yesterday on the U.S. House floor. The FIGHT Fentanyl Act will permanently add fentanyl-related compounds to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. Currently, fentanyl analogues are only temporarily Schedule I controlled substances through Oct. 22. The FIGHT Fentanyl Act will permanently schedule fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs. A companion bill, SB 339, has been filed by Sens. Rob Portman and Joe Manchin.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “I want to thank Representative Buchanan for filing this important legislation. It is so very important that we continue to fight the opioid epidemic claiming thousands of lives in our state. Permanently scheduling fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule I controlled substance would be an important step forward in this fight. As the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic may be contributing to an increase in the illicit use of fentanyl, we cannot wait any longer to take action—countless American lives are at stake.”

Permanently scheduling fentanyl-related drugs as Schedule I controlled substances will ensure more safeguards are in place to protect the health and well-being of our communities. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 81,000 drug overdose deaths occurred from May 2019 to May 2020—the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period. Further data from the CDC suggests synthetic opioids, primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl, to be the leading cause of overdose deaths.

Additional data from the CDC during the 12-month period indicates:

• Overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids increased in 37 of the 38 U.S. jurisdictions with available data on such deaths;
• In 18 of the 38 jurisdictions, overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids increased by more than 50%; and
• 10 western states reported a 98% increase in synthetic opioid-involved deaths.

In a letter sent to congressional leaders today, Attorney General Moody urged federal lawmakers to take timely and decisive action to stop the threat of this dangerous drug claiming thousands of American lives.

To read the letter, click here.

To help Floridians join the fight to end the opioid epidemic, Attorney General Moody launched Dose of Reality Florida—a statewide resource providing information to Floridians about the dangers of misusing prescription painkillers and other opioids such as fentanyl and heroin.

For more information, visit DoseofRealityFL.com.