Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted against a bill this week to classify fentanyl-related substances (FRS) as Schedule I substances — a vote that comes even as a record number of Americans are dying from those compounds every year.
The committee’s health subcommittee approved the bill in a 17-10 vote with every Democrat, except for Rep. Angie Craig (MN), voting against the measure.
Republicans are pushing the legislation because it will increase the mandatory minimum sentence for anyone caught having those substances in their possession, which they believe will lead to a significant reduction in their spread across the country. More than 70,000 Americans die per year from synthetic opioid overdoses, with fentanyl driving most of those deaths.
Schedule I substances are typically substances that
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