I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 27 
To amend the Controlled Substances Act with respect to the scheduling 
of fentanyl-related substances, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 3, 2025 
Mr. GRIFFITH (for himself, Mr. LATTA, Mr. GUTHRIE, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. 
HUDSON, Mr. CARTER of Georgia, Mr. PALMER, Mr. DUNN of Florida, 
Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania, Mr. PFLUGER, Mrs. 
HARSHBARGER, Mrs. CAMMACK, Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS, Mr. WOMACK, 
Mr. BUCHANAN, Mrs. MILLER of West Virginia, Mr. MOOLENAAR, Mr. 
BOST, Mr. EVANS of Colorado, Mr. FITZGERALD, Mr. LANGWORTHY, Mr. 
CLINE, Mr. MEUSER, Mr. VAN DREW, Mr. FEENSTRA, and Mr. NUNN 
of Iowa) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
diction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Controlled Substances Act with respect to 
the scheduling of fentanyl-related substances, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Halt All Lethal Traf-
ficking of Fentanyl Act’’ or the ‘‘HALT Fentanyl Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. CLASS SCHEDULING OF FENTANYL-RELATED SUB-
STANCES. 
Section 202(c) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 
U.S.C. 812(c)) is amended by adding at the end of sched-
ule I the following: 
‘‘(e)(1) Unless specifically exempted or unless listed 
in another schedule, any material, compound, mixture, or 
preparation which contains any quantity of a fentanyl-re-
lated substance, or which contains the salts, isomers, and 
salts of isomers of a fentanyl-related substance whenever 
the existence of such salts, isomers, and salts of isomers 
is possible within the specific chemical designation. 
‘‘(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), except as 
provided in paragraph (3), the term ‘fentanyl-related 
substance’ means any substance that is structurally 
related to fentanyl by 1 or more of the following 
modifications: 
‘‘(A) By replacement of the phenyl portion 
of the phenethyl group by any monocycle, 
whether or not further substituted in or on the 
monocycle. 
‘‘(B) By substitution in or on the 
phenethyl group with alkyl, alkenyl, alkoxyl, 
hydroxyl, halo, haloalkyl, amino, or nitro 
groups. 
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‘‘(C) By substitution in or on the piper-
idine ring with alkyl, alkenyl, alkoxyl, ester, 
ether, hydroxyl, halo, haloalkyl, amino, or nitro 
groups. 
‘‘(D) By replacement of the aniline ring 
with any aromatic monocycle whether or not 
further substituted in or on the aromatic mono-
cycle. 
‘‘(E) By replacement of the N–propionyl 
group with another acyl group. 
‘‘(3) A substance that satisfies the definition of 
the term ‘fentanyl-related substance’ in paragraph 
(2) shall nonetheless not be treated as a fentanyl-re-
lated substance subject to this schedule if the sub-
stance— 
‘‘(A) is controlled by action of the Attorney 
General under section 201; or 
‘‘(B) is otherwise expressly listed in a 
schedule other than this schedule. 
‘‘(4)(A) The Attorney General may by order 
publish in the Federal Register a list of substances 
that satisfy the definition of the term ‘fentanyl-re-
lated substance’ in paragraph (2). 
‘‘(B) The absence of a substance from a 
list published under subparagraph (A) does not 
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negate the control status of the substance 
under this schedule if the substance satisfies 
the definition of the term ‘fentanyl-related sub-
stance’ in paragraph (2).’’. 
SEC. 3. REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO RE-
SEARCH. 
(a) ALTERNATIVE
REGISTRATION
PROCESS
FOR 
SCHEDULE I RESEARCH.—Section 303 of the Controlled 
Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 823) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating the second subsection (l) 
(relating to required training for prescribers) as sub-
section (m); and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(n) SPECIAL
PROVISIONS
FOR
PRACTITIONERS 
CONDUCTING CERTAIN RESEARCH WITH SCHEDULE I 
CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding subsection 
(g), a practitioner may conduct research described in 
paragraph (2) of this subsection with 1 or more 
schedule I substances in accordance with subpara-
graph (A) or (B) of paragraph (3) of this sub-
section. 
‘‘(2) RESEARCH SUBJECT TO EXPEDITED PRO-
CEDURES.—Research described in this paragraph is 
research that— 
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‘‘(A) is with respect to a drug that is the 
subject of an investigational use exemption 
under section 505(i) of the Federal Food, Drug, 
and Cosmetic Act; or 
‘‘(B) is— 
‘‘(i) conducted by the Department of 
Health and Human Services, the Depart-
ment of Defense, or the Department of 
Veterans Affairs; or 
‘‘(ii) funded partly or entirely by a 
grant, contract, cooperative agreement, or 
other transaction from the Department of 
Health and Human Services, the Depart-
ment of Defense, or the Department of 
Veterans Affairs. 
‘‘(3) EXPEDITED PROCEDURES.— 
‘‘(A) RESEARCHER
WITH
A
CURRENT 
SCHEDULE I OR II RESEARCH REGISTRATION.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—If a practitioner is 
registered to conduct research with a con-
trolled substance in schedule I or II, the 
practitioner may conduct research under 
this subsection on and after the date that 
is 30 days after the date on which the 
practitioner sends a notice to the Attorney 
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General containing the following informa-
tion, with respect to each substance with 
which the practitioner will conduct the re-
search: 
‘‘(I) The chemical name of the 
substance. 
‘‘(II) The quantity of the sub-
stance to be used in the research. 
‘‘(III) Demonstration that the re-
search is in the category described in 
paragraph (2), which demonstration 
may be satisfied— 
‘‘(aa) in the case of a grant, 
contract, cooperative agreement, 
or other transaction, or intra-
mural research project, by identi-
fying the sponsoring agency and 
supplying the number of the 
grant, 
contract, 
cooperative 
agreement, other transaction, or 
project; or 
‘‘(bb) in the case of an ap-
plication under section 505(i) of 
the Federal Food, Drug, and 
Cosmetic Act, by supplying the 
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application number and the spon-
sor of record on the application. 
‘‘(IV) Demonstration that the re-
searcher is authorized to conduct re-
search with respect to the substance 
under the laws of the State in which 
the research will take place. 
‘‘(ii) VERIFICATION OF INFORMATION 
BY HHS OR VA.—Upon request from the 
Attorney General, the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services, the Department of 
Defense, or the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs, as appropriate, shall verify informa-
tion submitted by an applicant under 
clause (i)(III). 
‘‘(B) RESEARCHER WITHOUT A CURRENT 
SCHEDULE I OR II RESEARCH REGISTRATION.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—If a practitioner is 
not registered to conduct research with a 
controlled substance in schedule I or II, 
the practitioner may send a notice to the 
Attorney General containing the informa-
tion listed in subparagraph (A)(i), with re-
spect to each substance with which the 
practitioner will conduct the research. 
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‘‘(ii) ATTORNEY GENERAL ACTION.— 
The Attorney General shall— 
‘‘(I) treat notice received under 
clause (i) as a sufficient application 
for a research registration; and 
‘‘(II) not later than 45 days of 
receiving such a notice that contains 
all information required under sub-
paragraph (A)(i)— 
‘‘(aa) register the applicant; 
or 
‘‘(bb) serve an order to show 
cause upon the applicant in ac-
cordance with section 304(c). 
‘‘(4) ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS.—The Attorney 
General shall provide a means to permit a practi-
tioner to submit a notification under paragraph (3) 
electronically. 
‘‘(5) LIMITATION ON AMOUNTS.—A practitioner 
conducting research with a schedule I substance 
under this subsection may only possess the amounts 
of schedule I substance identified in— 
‘‘(A) the notification to the Attorney Gen-
eral under paragraph (3); or 
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‘‘(B) a supplemental notification that the 
practitioner may send if the practitioner needs 
additional amounts for the research, which sup-
plemental notification shall include— 
‘‘(i) the name of the practitioner; 
‘‘(ii) the additional quantity needed of 
the substance; and 
‘‘(iii) an attestation that the research 
to be conducted with the substance is con-
sistent with the scope of the research that 
was the subject of the notification under 
paragraph (3). 
‘‘(6) IMPORTATION
AND
EXPORTATION
RE-
QUIREMENTS NOT AFFECTED.—Nothing in this sub-
section alters the requirements of part A of title III, 
regarding the importation and exportation of con-
trolled substances. 
‘‘(7) INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT.—Not later 
than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Inspector General of the Department of Justice 
shall complete a study, and submit a report thereon, 
about research described in paragraph (2) of this 
subsection with fentanyl.’’. 
(b) SEPARATE REGISTRATIONS NOT REQUIRED FOR 
ADDITIONAL RESEARCHER IN SAME INSTITUTION.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 302(c) of the Con-
trolled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 822(c)) is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) An agent or employee of a research insti-
tution that is conducting research with a controlled 
substance if— 
‘‘(A) the agent or employee is acting with-
in the scope of the professional practice of the 
agent or employee; 
‘‘(B) another agent or employee of the in-
stitution is registered to conduct research with 
a controlled substance in the same schedule; 
‘‘(C) the researcher who is so registered— 
‘‘(i) informs the Attorney General of 
the name, position title, and employing in-
stitution of the agent or employee who is 
not separately registered; 
‘‘(ii) authorizes that agent or em-
ployee to perform research under the reg-
istration of the registered researcher; and 
‘‘(iii) affirms that any act taken by 
that agent or employee involving a con-
trolled substance shall be attributable to 
the registered researcher, as if the re-
searcher had directly committed the act, 
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for purposes of any proceeding under sec-
tion 304(a) to suspend or revoke the reg-
istration of the registered researcher; and 
‘‘(D) the Attorney General does not, within 
30 days of receiving the information, authoriza-
tion, and affirmation described in subparagraph 
(C), refuse, for a reason listed in section 
304(a), to allow the agent or employee to pos-
sess the substance without a separate registra-
tion.’’. 
(2) 
TECHNICAL
CORRECTION.—Section 
302(c)(3) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 
U.S.C. 822(c)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘(25)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘(27)’’. 
(c) SINGLE REGISTRATION FOR RELATED RESEARCH 
SITES.—Section 302(e) of the Controlled Substances Act 
(21 U.S.C. 822(e)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(4)(A) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a per-
son registered to conduct research with a controlled 
substance under section 303(f) may conduct the re-
search under a single registration if— 
‘‘(i) the research occurs exclusively on 
sites all of which are— 
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‘‘(I) within the same city or 
county; and 
‘‘(II) under the control of the 
same 
institution, 
organization, 
or 
agency; and 
‘‘(ii) before commencing the research, 
the researcher notifies the Attorney Gen-
eral of each site where— 
‘‘(I) the research will be con-
ducted; or 
‘‘(II) the controlled substance 
will be stored or administered. 
‘‘(B) A site described in subparagraph (A) 
shall be included in a registration described in 
that subparagraph only if the researcher has 
notified the Attorney General of the site— 
‘‘(i) in the application for the registra-
tion; or 
‘‘(ii) before the research is conducted, 
or before the controlled substance is stored 
or administered, at the site. 
‘‘(C) The Attorney General may, in con-
sultation with the Secretary, issue regulations 
addressing, with respect to research sites de-
scribed in subparagraph (A)— 
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‘‘(i) the manner in which controlled 
substances may be delivered to the re-
search sites; 
‘‘(ii) the storage and security of con-
trolled substances at the research sites; 
‘‘(iii) the maintenance of records for 
the research sites; and 
‘‘(iv) any other matters necessary to 
ensure effective controls against diversion 
at the research sites.’’. 
(d) NEW INSPECTION NOT REQUIRED IN CERTAIN 
SITUATIONS.—Section 302(f) of the Controlled Sub-
stances Act (21 U.S.C. 822(f)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘(f) The’’ and inserting ‘‘(f)(1) 
The’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2)(A) If a person is registered to conduct re-
search with a controlled substance and applies for a 
registration, or for a modification of a registration, 
to conduct research with a second controlled sub-
stance that is in the same schedule as the first con-
trolled substance, or is in a schedule with a higher 
numerical designation than the schedule of the first 
controlled substance, a new inspection by the Attor-
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