DEA: New Law Needed to Keep Cracking Down on Illicit Fentanyl (1)

The Drug Enforcement Administration is struggling to push through legislation that would permanently codify all new fentanyl-like substances as “schedule 1,” allowing the agency to stay on top of illicit sources of the highly addictive drugs.

The scheduling makes it easier to bring cases against chemists and drug traffickers who create potent opioids meant to be abused, Amanda Liskamm, director of opioid enforcement and prevention efforts at the Department of Justice, said July 1 at a press briefing. Schedule 1 drugs by definition have high potential for abuse and no medical value.

Chemists can slightly alter the chemical composition of ...