“In a joint effort, the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration announced they will allow federal prosecutors to now charge people who traffic fentanyl analogues or synthetics as if they were true forms of fentanyl.
“Under the new orders, anyone who possesses, imports, distributes, or manufactures any illicit fentanyl analogue will be subject to criminal prosecution, just as those who traffic in fentanyl and other controlled substances are. Fentanyl is a Schedule II drug, considered by the DEA to have a high potential for abuse, potentially leading to psychological or physical addiction.”