Latta's Bills to Combat Rising Synthetic Opioid Deaths Advanced by House Energy and Commerce Committee

Today, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced two bills introduced by Congressman Bob Latta (OH-5) to combat the rising synthetic opioid deaths: The Strengthening Tools to Outlaw Poisonous (STOP) Nitazenes Act and Tyler's Law. Additionally, the Committee also passed Congressman Latta's Nonprescription Drug Innovation Act (H.R.9774) as part of the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act (H.R.9393).

The Strengthening Tools to Outlaw Poisonous (STOP) Nitazenes Act would schedule 2-benzylbenzimidazole opioids, commonly known as nitazenes, as Schedule I controlled substances. Fatal overdoses continue to rise across the United States, and nitazenes, a dangerous class of illicit synthetic opioids, are increasingly contributing to overdose deaths nationwide. Depending on the chemical formulation, some nitazenes can be up to 800 times more potent than morphine and 40 times more potent than fentanyl. Like other illegal street drugs that are often laced with fentanyl, substances may also contain nitazenes without the user's knowledge.

Tyler's Law requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to complete a study on how frequently hospitals test for fentanyl in patients experiencing an overdose and to use the results of the study to issue guidance to hospitals on implementing fentanyl testing in emergency rules. Congressman Latta is the lead sponsor from the Energy and Commerce Committee and has been working on this legislation since 2023.

The Nonprescription Drug Innovation Act would establish a new "Priority Nonprescription Drug" designation to help expedite the development and review of certain over-the-counter (OTC) medications to give consumers access to manage their own care in a safe and affordable manner.

"Today's advancement of the STOP Nitazenes Act and Tyler's Law out of committee is an important step forward in our efforts to save lives and confront the devastating impact of synthetic opioids in communities across the country. These bills will help ensure hospitals and health officials have the tools, data, and authorities they need to respond more effectively to overdoses and keep dangerous substances like nitazenes off our streets. I urge the House floor to take up this legislation immediately," said Latta.

Congressman Latta has consistently championed legislation to fight against the opioid epidemic. His bill, the HALT Fentanyl Act, permanently classifying fentanyl-related substances (FRS) as a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act, was signed into law by President Trump on July 16, 2025.