Source: Common Dreams
“With the support of more than 70 Democrats, the Republican-controlled U.S. House on Thursday passed legislation that would permanently classify fentanyl analogues as Schedule I drugs and impose mandatory-minimum prison sentences on people found guilty of distributing the substances, an approach that critics slammed as a return to ‘failed drug war strategies of the past.’ ‘It’s sad to see lawmakers revert to over-criminalization once again when we have 50 years of evidence that the war on drugs has been an abject failure,’ said Laura Pitter of Human Rights Watch, one of nearly 160 advocacy groups that signed a letter earlier this week imploring Congress to reject the HALT Fentanyl Act. The bill, led by Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), nevertheless passed the House with bipartisan support, with 74 Democrats joining 215 Republicans in voting yes. Just one Republican (Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky) voted no, along with 132 Democrats.” (05/25/23)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/house-fentanyl-bill-drug-war