Government Officials Disagree on How to Crack Down on Illicit Fentanyl

Officials within the Trump Administration disagree on the best way to combat illicit fentanyl, Reuters reports.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) wants tighter rules for “copycat” versions of fentanyl, known as analogues. The agency wants to permanently classify illegal fentanyl analogues as Schedule I drugs. These drugs are deemed to be addictive with no medical use.

“Trying to do research on Schedule I compounds is really difficult for scientists. There are all kinds of regulatory hurdles,” said Sandra Comer, public policy officer for the College on Problems of Drug Dependence.

An expert from the National Institute on Drug Abuse warned Senate staff at a private briefing that making all fentanyl analogues Schedule I drugs could cause problems, the article notes. The expert said the move would make it more difficult for researchers to win approval to study the analogues to potentially develop new ways to tackle fentanyl overdoses.