A group of Senators, led by Senator Ashley Moody, has introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at combating the emerging threat of nitazenes, a class of synthetic opioids reportedly even deadlier than fentanyl.
The bill, known as the Nitazene Control Act, was introduced today by Senators Moody, Dave McCormick (R-PA), and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ). The core purpose of the legislation is to permanently schedule the entire class of nitazenes as a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
Closing Trafficker Loopholes
The class-wide scheduling approach is designed to close loopholes that drug traffickers currently exploit by making slight chemical modifications to the compounds to evade existing drug enforcement laws.
Senator Moody emphasized the urgency of federal action, noting her past experience: “As the former Attorney General of Florida, I signed an emergency rule adding deadly nitazene compounds to the Schedule I controlled substance list… Now as Florida’s newest U.S. Senator, I am taking this fight to the federal level… This critical bill will help us save lives.”
A United Front Against a Lethal Threat
The legislation underscores a unified concern about nitazenes’ extreme potency.
Senator McCormick pointed to the drug’s lethality compared to fentanyl: “The fact that nitazenes are oftentimes more deadly than fentanyl… should be a wakeup call to us all. We need to take immediate action to close loopholes, crack down on traffickers, and ensure that these deadly narcotics do not cause the same devastation that we saw with fentanyl.”
“Families across Arizona have already been torn apart by the opioid and fentanyl epidemic, and now nitazenes threaten to make this crisis even worse,” said Senator Gallego. “The Nitazene Control Act will give law enforcement the tools they need to keep these drugs out of our communities and save lives.”
The lead sponsors were joined in introducing the bill by Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jeane Shaheen (D-NH), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI). Companion legislation has also been introduced in the House of Representatives by Michael Baumgartner (R-WA) and Eugene Vindman (D-VA).
Law Enforcement Support
The bill has received a strong endorsement from the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA). FLEOA National President Mathew Silverman praised the proactive measure, stating that nitazenes represent “one of the most dangerous emerging threats we face.”
He concluded, “By taking a class-wide approach, they are ensuring that traffickers can’t exploit chemical loopholes to evade prosecution. This proactive measure strengthens public safety, empowers law enforcement, and ultimately saves lives.”
Senators Ricketts and Schmitt both drew parallels to efforts to control fentanyl, stressing that the bill follows a similar model to give law enforcement the necessary authority to combat this new wave of highly potent synthetic opioids.
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