Fentanyl halting bill supported by Rep. Dan Meuser and Lycoming County coroner goes to U.S. Senate
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A federal lawmaker serving Greater Williamsport has voted in support of legislation designed to halt fentanyl by classifying the drug and fentanyl-related substances permanently as Schedule I under the Controlled Substance Act.
What is known as the Halt Fentanyl Act would make permanent the emergency order issued by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 2018 under the first term of President Donald Trump, which placed all fentanyl-related substances under strict federal control.
Trump has blamed the prior administration for allowing flows of illegal migrants, many of which contributed to the drug plague and China for manufacturing the materials used to make the drug which was then smuggled across the border into the U.S.
The legislation would ensure law enforcement has the necessary tools to go after traffickers while allowing researchers to better understand these lethal substances, according to U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, representing the 9th Congressional District, which includes the city and eastern parts of Lycoming County.
Fentanyl overdoses continue to devastate communities.
In 2023, the most recent available federal data, the drug was linked to 76% of the state's 4,721 overdose deaths.
Without congressional action, the current temporary scheduling will expire on March 31. The act passed the House 312-108 and awaits Senate consideration.
He said the Senate must act swiftly to pass the legislation and send it to Trump's desk.
Fentanyl is the dominant opioid in Pennsylvania and has been for several years.
Lawmakers and law enforcement, including the Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics, have shifted their focus from heroin to the drug due to a stark uptick in seizures because of its use compared to heroin.
State Attorney General Dave Sunday in a statement to the Sun-Gazette said:
"The deadliest, most dangerous drugs should be scheduled as such. Synthetic opioid manufacturers and traffickers have exploited loopholes in scheduling which contributed to widespread distribution of variations of fentanyl," he said.
Sunday continued: "Those variations have the same disastrous effects as fentanyl, and this office remains committed to doing everything in our power to deter trafficking in Pennsylvania communities.
Each and every life lost leaves a family and community devastated, so it is imperative we act with urgency to combat this scourge."
Asked about the federal legislation, Lycoming County Coroner Charles E. Kiessling Jr. said, "Anything we can do to reduce those numbers is good." He noted his office has seen overdose drug deaths, some of which are related to fentanyl and fentanyl mixed with xylazine, a drug used as horse tranquilizer.
"I have been ruling illegal drug death as homicide," Kiessling said. "To me, death of an individual at the hands of another is the definition of homicide. If you are dealing it, you are killing people."
Overall, the drug death numbers in the county were down last year, the lowest since 2019, which is likely due to aggressive narcotics enforcement in the county. The county had 13 deaths, in 2024; 24 in 2023; 23 in 2022; 26 in 2021; 45 in 2020 and 31 in 2019, Kiessling said.