Congress moves to permanently ban nitazenes, a dangerous synthetic opioid

What it does

This bill permanently adds nitazenes—a class of synthetic opioids structurally related to 2-benzylbenzimidazole—to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, making them illegal to manufacture, distribute, or possess without authorization. The bill converts any nitazenes that were temporarily scheduled under emergency procedures into permanent Schedule I status and directs the Attorney General to issue implementing rules within one year, which may take effect immediately as interim rules before public comment is complete.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core function is to move a synthetic opioid from temporary to permanent Schedule I status under federal drug law, a routine public-health measure to prevent distribution of a substance linked to overdose deaths.

What the text implies

• The interim final rule provision (Section 3(b)(1)) allows the Attorney General to make rules effective immediately without demonstrating good cause, bypassing the normal notice-and-comment requirement under the Administrative Procedure Act. This accelerates implementation but reduces opportunity for public input before rules take effect.
• The structural definition of 2-benzylbenzimidazole opioids in Section 2(2) is broad and includes a catch-all provision for any substance exhibiting agonist activity at the mu-opioid receptor, potentially capturing future analogs not yet synthesized. This may preempt clandestine chemists from easily designing workarounds, but also means the DEA's interpretation of 'agonist activity' will determine
• Conversion of temporarily scheduled nitazenes to permanent Schedule I status (Section 2(b)) occurs automatically upon enactment, without requiring separate rulemaking for each substance. This streamlines the process but means any errors in the temporary scheduling carry forward permanently unless the Attorney General later corrects them.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Permanently scheduling nitazenes as Schedule I controlled substances removes a dangerous synthetic opioid from legal circulation, protecting public health by preventing manufacture and distribution. The bill addresses a documented public-health threat (nitazenes have been linked to overdose deaths and are increasingly diverted into illicit drug supplies) without creating new restrictions on citizens' lawful conduct or rights.

Named in the bill

Attorney General, DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), Controlled Substances Act, Schedule I, Nitazenes (etonitazene, clonitazene, metonitazene, isotonitazene, protonitazene, butonitazene, etode

Where it stands

10 cosponsors: 9 Republicans, 1 Democrats.

• Mar 18, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Mar 18, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary and House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a…”
• Jun 25, 2026 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Jul 21, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 28 - 21”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

4 lobbying clients named this bill on 5 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $5,690,750 in lobbying spend. A filing names 21 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 72% of bills with at least one filing.

Robert Latta, the sponsor, reported $876,626 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• American Medical Association — $5,643,000 on 2 filings
• Drug Policy Alliance — $18,639 on 1 filing
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (nacdl) — $15,000 on 1 filing
• The Sentencing Project — $14,111 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.