U.S. Sen, Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), is chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. (Special to the American Press)

Legislation spearheaded by U.S. Sen. Cassidy was signed by President Donald Trump last week.

The Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) Fentanyl Act solidifies the classification of fentanyl-related substances as Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act, which is the category for drugs, substances or chemicals with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Drug overdoses in the United States are predominantly fentanyl-related, contributing to nearly 70 percent of overdose deaths.

Fentanyl will be listed at a Schedule 1 drug alongside substances like LSD and cannabis.

HALT, which was passed by the U.S. Senate in March, is just “one more tool for law enforcement to help prevent fentanyl,” Cassidy said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

A ceremony for the executive signing of the act was help on Wednesday, July 16.

“During the ceremony, President Trump thanked me, said that this bill is one of the most important things that he will sign this year,” Cassidy said. “I will agree. One life lost to drug overdoses is too many lives, and we may have as many as 50,000 to 60,000 to 70,000 lives lost annually from fentanyl overdose.”

Cassidy thanked Trump in return for addressing the fentanyl epidemic.

“He has worked hard by securing the border, going out to cartels and asking the Chinese to not ship fentanyl precursors to decrease the epidemic.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized 21.9 thousand pounds of fentanyl in 2024. So far this year. As of July 15, CBP has seized 9.2 thousand pounds of fentanyl in 2025.

Coca-Cola

This week, Coca-Cola announced that the company will expand its product line to include Coca-Cola products made with U.S. Cane Sugar.

In the second quarter of 2025 company’s report that was released on Tuesday, Coca-Cola said the “addition is designed to … offer more choices across occasions and preferences.”

Cassidy called it a “great move by President Trump to make America healthier again” that will economically benefit Louisiana through the increased need for sugar.

“Of course, a lot of that sugar is going to come from Louisiana,” he said. “The cane sugar from Louisiana will be actually healthier than the other type of sugar that they’re currently using … and it will obviously give an economic boost to our guys.”