Senate Must Not Repeat House’s Mistake on Extending Class-Wide Scheduling of Fentanyl Analogues

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rafael Medina, [email protected], 202.869.0390

WASHINGTON – Wade Henderson, interim president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement regarding the House passage of H.R. 2630, the Extending Temporary Emergency Scheduling of Fentanyl Analogues Act:

“This is a tragic repeat of the enforcement-first policies of the past that have been proven to be more harmful than helpful. A recent GAO report confirms that class-wide scheduling of fentanyl analogues further exacerbated mass incarceration and racial disparities in the criminal legal system and tore apart families and communities. The House of Representatives made a mistake by perpetuating this harmful policy. The Senate must reject any extension of this policy and should instead embrace a public health approach that will address the drug overdose crisis.”

The Leadership Conference previously called on the House, and today called on the Senate, to vote no on any legislation that would extend the class-wide scheduling of fentanyl analogues. The Leadership Conference plans to include this vote in the organization’s “Voting Record for the 117th Congress” report.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 220 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org. 

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