Morrisey calls for permanent fentanyl classification to Schedule I

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has joined forces with 56 other attorneys general to call on Congress to permanently classify fentanyl-related substances among the most restricted drugs in the nation.

“Fentanyl is an incredibly potent narcotic that is linked with a huge percentage of senseless overdose deaths,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “These substances have no business being listed as anything but a Schedule 1 drug. This legislation is crucial to our hope to curb the opioid epidemic here in West Virginia.”

Morrisey was a guest on WAJR’s Talk of the Town and said law enforcement needs the proper tools to combat the problems caused by the substance.

“Looking at all the data related to fentanyl, we saw it was really important to give law enforcement the additional tools,” Morrisey said,”The trafficking of this deadly substance is really off the charts.”

Morrisey says fentanyl is one of the most deadly narcotics today and is responsible for a substantial percantage of overdose deaths.

“Pain pills remain a big problem, yet the numbers of illicit pain pills has gone down tremendously, we’ve made big strides in that area,” Morrisey said,”But, some of those people went to meth and fentanyl and some of those other products.”

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration temporary order scheduling fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule 1 drug will expire in February of 2020. The Schedule I designation allows federal law enforcement to criminally charge people who manufacture, distribute or handle fentanyl-related substances.