I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5415 
To amend the Controlled Substances Act to permanently schedule the class 
of benzimidazole-opioids known as nitazenes, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 16, 2025 
Mr. VINDMAN (for himself and Mr. BAUMGARTNER) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and 
in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Controlled Substances Act to permanently 
schedule the class of benzimidazole-opioids known as 
nitazenes, 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 ‘‘Nitazene Control Act 
of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) 2-Benzylbenzimidazole opioids are a class of 
synthetic opioids first synthesized in the 1950s. 
They exhibit significant potency at the mu-opioid re-
ceptor, with some substances exceeding the potency 
of fentanyl. 
(2) The Drug Enforcement Administration 
(DEA) has temporarily or permanently scheduled 
multiple 2-benzylbenzimidazole opioid compounds 
under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act 
due to their high abuse potential and lack of accept-
ed medical use. 
(3) Nitazenes and related compounds have 
emerged in the illicit drug supply as designer drugs 
and contribute to overdose and fatal poisonings in 
the United States. 
(4) A class-wide permanent scheduling of 2- 
benzylbenzimidazole opioids is necessary to preemp-
tively address the proliferation of new analogs, 
streamline enforcement, and protect public health. 
(5) The HALT Fentanyl Act created pathways 
for research using Schedule I controlled substances 
which apply to scheduled nitazenes. 
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SEC. 3. SCHEDULE I CLASSIFICATION OF NITAZENES. 
(a) AMENDMENT.—Section 202(c) of the Controlled 
Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812(c)) is amended by adding 
at the end of Schedule I the following: 
‘‘(f) 2-Benzylbenzimidazole opioids, commonly re-
ferred to as ‘nitazenes’, their isomers, esters, ethers, salts 
and salts of isomers, esters, and ethers, including: 
‘‘(1) 
Is 
structurally 
related 
to 
2- 
benzylbenzimidazole with the following modifications: 
‘‘(A) At the 1-position, substitution with 
an alkyl linker connected to a substituted amine 
group containing hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, and/ 
or 
heteroaryl 
group 
(e.g. 
morphilino, 
pyrrolidino, or piperidinyl groups), whether or 
not further substituted. 
‘‘(B) At the 2-position: 
‘‘i. Replacement of the alkyl portion of the ben-
zyl group with a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, 
alkoxy, carbamates group, nitrogen, sulfur, and/or 
oxygen atoms. 
‘‘ii. Replacement of the phenyl portion of the 
benzyl group with an aryl or heteroaryl group. 
‘‘(C) Substitution on the phenyl portion of 
the benzimidazole ring with a hydrogen atom, 
halogen, 
nitro, 
cyano, 
substituted 
or 
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unsubstituted amide, amine, alkyl, alkoxy, aryl, 
and/or heteroaryl groups. 
‘‘(D) At the 6-position, substitution with 
hydrogen, 
nitro, 
trifluoromethyl, 
methoxy, 
trifluoromethoxy, cyano, and halogen groups.; 
and 
‘‘(2) Exhibits agonist activity at the mu-opioid 
receptor. 
Such substances include, but are not limited to: 
etonitazene, clonitazene, metonitazene, isotonitazene, 
protonitazene, 
butonitazene, 
etodesnitazene, 
flunitazene, N-pyrrolidino etonitazene, N-desethyl 
isotonitazene, and N-piperidinyl etonitazene.’’. 
(b) REMOVAL OF TEMPORARY STATUS.—Any sub-
stance included in the amendment to section 202(c) of the 
Controlled Substances Act made by this section that was 
temporarily scheduled under section 201(h) of the Con-
trolled Substances Act shall be deemed permanently 
scheduled and subject to the requirements of Schedule I 
as of the date of enactment of this Act. 
(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion or the amendments made by this section shall be con-
strued to authorize the initiation of new research using 
substances described in the amendment made by sub-
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