Sponsors (18)
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Adds new subsections to section 303 establishing special expedited registration procedures and transparency requirements for certain research involving schedule I substances.
Amends section 302 by adding multiple new paragraphs addressing agent/employee use under a registered researcher, single registration for related research sites, inspection exceptions, continuation of research when a substance is newly scheduled to schedule I, and treatment of certain manufacturing activities as incidental to research.
Adds a new paragraph (8) to subsection (b) of 21 U.S.C. 841 allowing courts to vacate or reduce previously imposed sentences for defendants whose offense involved a substance that was designated as a fentanyl-related substance at the time of the offense but later was removed from that designation or placed on a schedule other than I or II or removed from the schedules; permits motions by the defendant, the Bureau of Prisons, the attorney for the Government, or the court on its own motion; requires consideration of 18 U.S.C. 3553(a); states defendant need not be present for the hearing.
Adds a new paragraph (8) to subsection (b) of 21 U.S.C. 960 providing that in import/export cases involving a fentanyl-related substance (as defined in schedule I(e) of section 202(c) as of the date the offense was committed) that has since been removed from that designation and placed on any schedule other than I or II or removed from the schedules, the sentencing court may, on motion of the defendant, the Bureau of Prisons, the attorney for the Government, or on its own motion, after considering 18 U.S.C. 3553(a), vacate or reduce the previously imposed sentence as if the removal or placement had been in effect at the time of the offense.
Adds a new subsection (k) to 21 U.S.C. 811 establishing procedures for removal or rescheduling of fentanyl-related substances based on binding scientific and medical determinations by the Secretary, timelines for Attorney General action, specified evaluation factors and study types, notice and petition procedures, a treaty exception, and related provisions.
Amends section 202(c) of the Controlled Substances Act by adding a new subsection (e) to the Schedule I list establishing a class-wide definition of 'fentanyl-related substance', specifying exceptions, requiring publication of a list of individual substances, and excluding such substances from certain quantity-based mandatory minimum penalties.
This bill makes a broad, permanent rule for fentanyl‑like drugs. It uses a class definition so new versions are covered right away, and the Justice Department must publish a public list of which chemicals fit that rule within 60 days . It also ends automatic minimum prison terms based only on drug weight for that broad class, while keeping these drugs controlled; the weight‑based mandatory minimums still apply to fentanyl itself and to individually listed fentanyl analogs, including in import and export cases .
The bill creates a science‑based way to remove or lower controls on a specific fentanyl‑like substance if studies show it is less risky; when federal health officials make that finding, the Justice Department must act within 90 days to take it off the list or move it to a lower level. People who were sentenced for a substance that later gets moved down can ask a judge to reduce their sentence. It also makes medical research easier: faster approvals (about 30–45 days), one registration that can cover multiple sites in the same city or county, the ability to keep studies going when a drug is newly restricted, and permission for small‑scale manufacturing tied to research, with added transparency from the Justice Department .
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Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced January 31, 2025 by Chris Pappas · Last progress January 31, 2025
SAFE Act of 2022
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House