Wilson joins coalition urging action on fentanyl-related substances

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S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson joined a coalition of 56 attorneys general from every U.S. state and territory and the District of Columbia in calling for Congress to permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs.

Schedule I drugs are defined as having no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse, according to a news release from Wilson’s office.  

“Fentanyl is a lethal drug even in tiny amounts, and carfentanil can be over 100 times more potent than fentanyl,” Wilson said in the release. “A person might just as well take rat poison. Fentanyl is a ticket to death.”

In a letter signed by all attorneys general, the coalition on Wednesday urged Congress to pass S. 2701, the Federal Initiative to Guarantee Health by Targeting (FIGHT) Fentanyl Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Senators Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.

In February 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a temporary scheduling order that has allowed federal law enforcement authorities to bring criminal actions against individuals who manufacture, distribute or handle fentanyl-related substances, according to the release. The scheduling order is set to expire on Feb. 6, 2020.

Wilson’s office pointed to 2017 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that found that roughly 40% of the 72,000 drug-related deaths in the U.S. involved fentanyl or a fentanyl-related compound.