President Donald Trump signaled a new front in the war on drugs Thursday with newly signed legislation that would heighten penalties for those possessing fentanyl and fentanyl-like substances.
The bill, the HALT Fentanyl Act, classifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule 1 narcotics on the Controlled Substances Act. That means these drugs are now considered “a drug, substance, or chemical that has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties” under the law.
Trump was surrounded during the bill signing by the family members of those who lost their lives to fentanyl. It’s a drug that has taken the lives of thousands of Americans each year, and Utah is no exception.
Utah was one of only five states that saw fentanyl overdose deaths increase last year.
The fight against drugs at home
In the same 24 hours the bill was signed into law, the Carbon Metro Drug Task Force, the Carbon County SWAT Team, Price City Police and Carbon County Sheriff’s Office wore hazmat suits in a drug bust where a large amount of the lethal drug was found at a residence.
“Approximately 7 pounds of methamphetamine, over 2 pounds of fentanyl (pills and powder), over 5 ounces of cocaine, and multiple weapons to include at least one firearm,” according to the Price City Police Department.
In 2024, Utah set its record for fentanyl pill seizures, per the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Nearly 800,000 pills were confiscated by July, setting the state up to reach or exceed 1 million pills by the end of the year.
Fentanyl is roughly 100 times more potent than morphine, while carfentanil — a veterinary tranquilizer used on elephants — is up to 10,000 times more potent.
Utah’s political leaders have been working to tackle the issue of opioid overdoses in the state head-on. Last legislative session, Rep. Matthew Gwynn, R-Farr West, passed his bill, HB87, which would levy stiffer penalties on fentanyl traffickers than any other drug trafficker:
If a person is found with 100 grams or more of fentanyl or a fentanyl-like substance in the state of Utah, the bill states that the person will be charged with a first-degree felony with prison presumed to follow.
Utah’s Attorney General Derek Brown hosted the state’s first-ever virtual opioid task force meeting in April, and in May, Gov. Spencer Cox called for a crackdown on fentanyl.