Watch: Senate Judiciary Committee weighs permanent drug scheduling for fentanyl

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing Tuesday to consider legislation that would permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

Schedule 1 drugs are those that have a high potential for abuse and the potential to create severe psychological and/or physical dependence, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The drugs on this list also have no currently accepted medical use.

Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), along with Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), unveiled a bipartisan bill late last month that would reclassify the potent synthetic opioid — now a Schedule 2 drug — which has been used for pain management.

“Today, roughly 150 Americans will die from fentanyl poisoning,” Grassley said. “Cartels fuel this crisis by marketing their poison as legitimate prescription pills. They also avoid regulation by chemically altering the drugs to create powerful fentanyl knock-offs.”

Watch video coverage of the hearing above.