WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bipartisan coalition led by Senators Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) introduced legislation Thursday to permanently classify nitazenes — a synthetic opioid up to 40 times stronger than fentanyl — as Schedule I controlled substances, aiming to shut down chemical loopholes exploited by traffickers.
The Nitazene Control Act, backed by seven senators and endorsed by the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), would make permanent the temporary scheduling actions taken by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and prevent manufacturers from slightly altering nitazene compounds to evade prosecution.
“The fact that nitazenes are oftentimes more deadly than fentanyl, which killed nearly 4,000 Pennsylvanians last year alone, should be a wake-up call to us all,” McCormick said. “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.”
Gallego echoed the urgency, warning that nitazenes are fueling a dangerous new phase of the opioid crisis. “Families across Arizona have already been torn apart by the opioid and fentanyl epidemic, and now nitazenes threaten to make this crisis even worse,” he said. “These synthetic opioids are stronger and deadlier than fentanyl, and they are starting to be abused more frequently.”
Other co-sponsors include Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Ashley Moody (R-FL). Companion legislation has been introduced in the House by Representatives Michael Baumgartner (R-WA) and Eugene Vindman (D-VA).
Law enforcement officials say nitazenes — originally synthesized in the 1950s and never approved for medical use — have rapidly spread through the U.S. drug supply, often laced into counterfeit pills or heroin. Their potency makes them difficult to detect, and overdoses have surged in several states.
“These illicit drugs are extremely potent and difficult to detect,” Ricketts said, calling the measure “a blueprint to prevent their flow into our country.”
According to the DEA, at least 14 nitazenes are currently scheduled, with seven more temporarily added in October. Still, traffickers continue to modify chemical structures to create new variants that remain unscheduled — a pattern lawmakers hope to end through class-wide scheduling authority.
FLEOA President Mathew Silverman said the bill gives law enforcement the clarity they need. “By taking a class-wide approach, they are ensuring traffickers can’t exploit chemical loopholes to evade prosecution,” Silverman said.
McCormick, a leading voice on combating synthetic narcotics, also co-sponsored the HALT Fentanyl Act, signed into law in July, and has introduced multiple bills targeting the flow of illicit opioids from China and Mexico.
“The Nitazene Control Act is about staying one step ahead of the cartels,” McCormick said. “We’ve seen what fentanyl did — we can’t afford to make the same mistake twice.”
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