WASHINGTON – 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.
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