Tell your Rep to support health services, not block them. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Dear Friend,

Tell your Member of Congress to vote NO on the HALT Fentanyl Act and to prioritize health solutions to fentanyl and the overdose crisis.
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We are all concerned about fentanyl and overdose, Friend. Investing in health solutions is the only way to save lives. Yet Congress is moving in the opposite direction by rushing to pass the HALT Fentanyl Act in the House this week. Don’t let the name fool you. This bill will only halt health approaches to fentanyl – health approaches our communities need to stay alive.

The bill would block potential research that could uncover new overdose medications. Automatically and permanently making all fentanyl-related substances Schedule I means they are not first tested for potential benefits. Of the few fentanyl-related substances the federal government has tested, at least one showed properties similar to the overdose-reversing medication naloxone.

The HALT Fentanyl Act also doubles down on mandatory minimum sentences and harsh criminal penalties for drugs. These laws separate families, create unjust sentences that do not consider individual circumstances, and divert resources away from health interventions.

We need your help to block this bill from passing when the U.S. House votes on it this week. Please urge your U.S. House Representative to oppose the HALT Fentanyl Act and support health and science.
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Take Action:
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Consider following up with a quick call to your Representative’s office at (202) 224-3121 to say:

"I’m calling to urge my Representative to vote NO on the HALT Fentanyl Act (H.R. 27). Reducing the harms of fentanyl and overdose is so important, but we can’t arrest our way out of this crisis. Harsher penalties for fentanyl-related substances are counterproductive and will only result in even more potent substances entering the drug supply, increasing risk of harms like overdose. We are all concerned about fentanyl. But we must invest in health solutions to save lives instead of doubling down on arrest and incarceration that have failed to keep us safer. Please oppose the HALT Fentanyl Act and support a health approach instead of handcuffs. Thank you."

Criminalization created the conditions for fentanyl.

Despite over 50 years of the drug war, drugs are more available, cheaper, and potent than ever. Though it may seem counterintuitive, cracking down on the drug supply often leads to more dangerous drugs. After prescription opioid crackdowns, people dependent on opioids turned to the streets to find substitutes. The illegal drug market responded by mixing fentanyl with heroin and counterfeit pills to meet the overwhelming demand.

When the Trump administration first criminalized all fentanyl-related substances in 2018, overdose deaths rose 60% in four years—from 67,367 deaths in 2018 to 107,941 in 2022. Now, pure fentanyl is the norm, and new drugs like xylazine and nitazenes are emerging. Instead of learning from this, the Trump administration is doubling down and trying to make this policy permanent through the HALT Fentanyl Act.

Fentanyl harm will persist so long as politicians focus on enforcement rather than addressing demand. The HALT Fentanyl Act will repeat this dangerous cycle. Harsher penalties will lead to more potent substances, increasing harms like overdose. It will put more lives at risk nationwide, especially in Black and Brown communities which are disproportionately targeted, sentenced, and incarcerated for federal fentanyl-related crimes.

Remember to urge your U.S. House Representative to oppose the HALT Fentanyl Act and support health and science.
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Take Action:
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Together, let’s tell our leaders it’s past time to replace failed drug war policies. We need addiction services, treatment, overdose prevention centers, and other health solutions that are proven to save lives and keep us all safer.

Thank you,
Maritza Perez Medina
Director of the Office of Federal Affairs
Drug Policy Alliance

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