Cato Daily Podcast
Fentanyl Smugglers Don't Care about Your Stinkin' Laws
Feb 19, 2025
Jeff Singer, a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute and drug policy expert, dives deep into the ineffective HALT Fentanyl Act. He reveals how this legislation perpetuates a failed framework that does little to curb the illicit fentanyl market. The discussion highlights the complications of fentanyl's Schedule 1 classification on medical research, reveals the disconnect in legal responses, and draws parallels to alcohol prohibition, advocating for harm reduction and lifting legal restrictions to improve public health.
15:42
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Quick takeaways
- The HALT Fentanyl Act fails to address the root causes of fentanyl trafficking, perpetuating a flawed framework that has proven ineffective for years.
- Designating fentanyl analogs as Schedule 1 hinders crucial medical research, limiting opportunities for discovering potentially beneficial treatments amidst a restrictive regulatory environment.
Deep dives
Limitations of the Halt Fentanyl Act
The Halt Fentanyl Act, currently progressing through Congress, aims to address the growing threat of fentanyl without actually prohibiting its legitimate medical use. It classifies new fentanyl analogs as Schedule 1 controlled substances, effectively extending an existing emergency order that has been in place since 2018. However, this approach has proven ineffective, as evidenced by the increase in fentanyl-related overdose deaths, which rose from 31,000 in 2018 to 81,000 by 2023. Critics argue that simply categorizing these drugs does not deter traffickers or users, and lawmakers overlook the complexities of drug development and medical research that could stem from this categorization.
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