Press Releases

WASHINGTON, February 15, 2022 — United States Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04) today called for the House Judiciary Committee Chairman to commence committee hearings on America’s growing fentanyl crisis.

“In my home state of Louisiana, drug overdose deaths due to synthetic opioids (primarily fentanyl) rose 119% in just the first four months of 2021 when compared to 2020,” the letter states. “Even more startling, the first quarter of 2021 accounted for more synthetic opioid overdose deaths in Louisiana than occurred in all of 2019.”

“As Members of Congress, we have a responsibility to the American people to attack this problem with much greater resolve. Therefore, I ask you to schedule a full Committee on the Judiciary hearing on the permanent scheduling of illicit fentanyl as a Schedule I drug.”

Background:

• The House Judiciary Committee under Democrat leadership has held no hearings on fentanyl overdoses during the 117^th Congress, despite having jurisdiction over drug classification policy and border security policy.
• The House Energy and Commerce Committee—the other major House committee with jurisdiction over the fentanyl crisis—held its first hearing on this subject over two months ago.
• Last week, Congressman Johnson, a member of the committee, introduced legislation to permanently classify all illicit fentanyl as a Schedule I narcotic under the Controlled Substances Act. The legislation would streamline and standardize the process for prosecuting those manufacturing and distributing illicit fentanyl.

Read the full letter below:

The Honorable Jerrold Nadler

Chairman

Committee on the Judiciary

United States House of Representatives

Chairman Nadler,

Fentanyl overdoses recently became the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45, claiming more lives per year than car accidents and cancer. In my home state of Louisiana, drug overdose deaths due to synthetic opioids (primarily fentanyl) rose 119% in just the first four months of 2021 when compared to 2020. Even more startling, the first quarter of 2021 accounted for more synthetic opioid overdose deaths in Louisiana than occurred in all of 2019. 

As Members of Congress, we have a responsibility to the American people to attack this problem with much greater resolve. Therefore, I ask you to schedule a full Committee on the Judiciary hearing on the permanent scheduling of illicit fentanyl as a Schedule I drug. 

As you know, the scheduling of illicit fentanyl as among the most dangerous drugs known to humankind was set to expire on February 18, 2022. Congressional action recently extended this deadline to March 11, 2022, but that is not good enough. There is no reason why Congress should be required to reauthorize illicit fentanyl’s temporary classification as a Schedule I narcotic multiple times each year. Our law enforcement agencies need more certainty when prosecuting fentanyl-related offenses and investigating its illegal import from China across our porous southern border.

It is past time for Congress to permanently classify illicit fentanyl as an illegal deadly substance under federal law. Doing so will help our law enforcement agencies get control of the crisis that is destroying so many American families and communities. The criminals responsible for this tragedy must be put on notice that we will no longer tolerate their illegal activities. Permanently classifying illicit fentanyl as a Schedule I narcotic under the Controlled Substances Act would streamline and standardize the process for prosecuting those manufacturing and distributing illicit fentanyl. Thus, I urge you to expeditiously schedule a hearing on this topic so we can take real action to end the opioid epidemic.

Sincerely,

Congressman Mike Johnson

Congressman Johnson is the Vice Chairman of the House Republican Conference, a member of the House Judiciary and Armed Services Committees, and a former constitutional law litigator.