HR 7970 Re-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click.
To amend the Controlled Substances Act to permanently schedule 2- benzylbenzimidazole opioids (commonly referred to as nitazenes) as Schedule 1 controlled substances, and for other purposes.
Summary
- Permanently schedules 2-benzylbenzimidazole opioids (nitazenes) as Schedule I controlled substances under federal law.
- Includes specific nitazene drugs (etonitazene, clonitazene, metonitazene, and others) and any structural variants that meet the definition.
- Covers any material, compound, mixture, or preparation containing nitazenes or their salts and isomers.
- Authorizes the Attorney General to publish a list of additional substances that meet the definition of nitazenes.
- Makes any temporarily scheduled nitazenes permanently scheduled as of the bill's enactment date.
- Requires the Attorney General to issue implementation rules within one year, which may be issued as interim final rules effective immediately.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
10 cosponsors
- Rep. Baird, James R. [R-IN-4] (R-IN)
- Rep. Baumgartner, Michael [R-WA-5] (R-WA)
- Rep. Calvert, Ken [R-CA-41] (R-CA)
- Rep. Goldman, Craig A. [R-TX-12] (R-TX)
- Rep. Joyce, David P. [R-OH-14] (R-OH)
- Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1] (R-KS)
- Rep. McDowell, Addison P. [R-NC-6] (R-NC)
- Rep. Moore, Tim [R-NC-14] (R-NC)
- Rep. Pfluger, August [R-TX-11] (R-TX)
- Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA)
Actions (5)
- Jun 25, 2026 Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote. · house
- Jun 25, 2026 Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held · house
- Mar 18, 2026 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. · house
- Mar 18, 2026 Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. · house
- Mar 18, 2026 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Committee action
What happened to this bill in committee — the meetings where it was considered and every recorded vote taken on it.
Meetings where this bill was on the agenda
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 18, 2026
Mr. Latta introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To amend the Controlled Substances Act to permanently schedule 2- benzylbenzimidazole opioids (commonly referred to as nitazenes) as Schedule 1 controlled substances, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Strengthening Tools to Outlaw Poisonous Nitazenes Act” or the “STOP Nitazenes Act”.
SEC. 2. CLASS I SCHEDULING OF NITAZENES.
(a) In General.—Section 202(c) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812(c)) is amended by adding at the end of Schedule I the following:
“(f)(1) Unless specifically exempted or unless listed in another schedule, any material, compound, mixture, or preparation that contains—
“(A) any quantity of a 2-benzylbenzimidazole opioid; or
“(B) the salts, isomers, and salts of isomers of a 2- benzylbenzimidazole opioid.
“(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), the term ‘2- benzylbenzimidazole opioid’ includes the following:
“(A) A substance that is structurally related to 2- benzylbenzimidazole with the following modifications:
“(i) At the 1-position, substitution with an alkyl linker connected to a substituted amine group containing hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, or a heteroaryl group, such as a morphilino, pyrrolidino, or piperidinyl group, whether or not further substituted.
“(ii) At the 2-position—
“(I) replacement of the alkyl portion of the benzyl group with a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, alkoxy, carbamates group, nitrogen, sulfur, or oxygen atom; or
“(II) replacement of the phenyl portion of the benzyl group with an aryl or heteroaryl group.
“(iii) Substitution on the phenyl portion of the benzimidazole ring with a hydrogen atom, halogen, nitro, cyano, substituted or unsubstituted amide, amine, alkyl, alkoxy, aryl, or heteroaryl group.
“(iv) At the 6-position, substitution with hydrogen, nitro, trifluoromethyl, methoxy, trifluoromethoxy, cyano, and halogen group.
“(B) A substance that exhibits agonist activity at the mu- opioid receptor.
“(C) Etonitazene, clonitazene, metonitazene, isotonitazene, protonitazene, butonitazene, etodesnitazene, flunitazene, N-pyrrolidino etonitazene, N-desethyl isotonitazene, and N-piperidinyl etonitazene.
“(3) The Attorney General may by order publish in the Federal Register a list of substances that satisfy the definition of the term ‘2-benzyl benzimidazole opioid’ in paragraph (2).”.
(b) Removal of Temporary Status.—Any substance included in the amendment made by subsection (a) that was temporarily scheduled under section 201(h) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 811(h)) shall be deemed permanently scheduled and subject to the requirements of Schedule I of section 202(c) of that Act (21 U.S.C. 812(c)) as of the date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 3. RULEMAKING.
(a) Interim Final Rule.—The Attorney General—
(1) shall, not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, issue rules to implement this Act, including the amendments made by this Act; and
(2) may issue the rules under paragraph (1) as an interim final rule.
(b) Procedure for Final Rule.—
(1) Effectiveness of interim final rules.—A rule issued by the Attorney General as an interim final rule under subsection
(a) shall become immediately effective as an interim final rule without requiring the Attorney General to demonstrate good cause therefor, notwithstanding subparagraph (B) of section 553(b) of title 5, United States Code.
(2) Opportunity for comment and hearing.—An interim final rule issued under subsection (a) shall give interested persons the opportunity to comment and to request a hearing.
(3) Final rule.—After the conclusion of proceedings under paragraph (2), the Attorney General shall issue a final rule to implement this Act, including the amendments made by this Act, in accordance with section 553 of title 5, United States Code. <all>
Comments