Trump to sign legislation cracking down on illicit fentanyl

President Donald Trump will host congressional leaders and families affected by the fentanyl epidemic on Wednesday for a signing ceremony on bipartisan legislation that would strengthen prison sentences for fentanyl traffickers, White House officials tell CNN.

President Donald Trump will host congressional leaders and families affected by the fentanyl epidemic on Wednesday for a signing ceremony on bipartisan legislation that would strengthen prison sentences for fentanyl traffickers, White House officials tell CNN. The Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act, which recently passed both the Senate and the House with bipartisan support, represents a key priority for the president who has claimed the illicit flow of fentanyl is one of the underlying reasons for his tariff threats against Canada, Mexico and China. The bill will place all fentanyl-related substances, specifically, copycat versions of the drug, on the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s list of most dangerous drugs, classifying them as Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act. The Trump administration argues the move will limit the incentive for cartels to create new synthetic, fentanyl-like drugs to evade the reach of the Controlled Substances Act. “Under the HALT Fentanyl Act, anyone who possesses, imports, distributes, or manufactures any illicit FRS (fentanyl-related substances) will be subject to criminal prosecution in the same manner as any other Schedule I controlled substance,” a White House document on the legislation obtained by CNN reads. “First, we close the loopholes criminals use to skirt around the law. Second, we make it easier for law enforcement to prosecute those criminals,” the document says.