The U.S. Department of Transportation is looking to amend its drug testing regulations to include testing for fentanyl and norfentanyl.
In a notice of proposed rulemaking published to the Federal Register on Tuesday, Sept. 2, the agency announced its intentions to add the two drugs to the testing panel for DOT drug screenings. The proposal includes adding fentanyl to both the urine and oral fluid testing panel, as well as adding norfentanyl – a metabolite of fentanyl and a precursor used in the illicit manufacture of fentanyl – to the urine testing panel.
The move would harmonize the U.S DOT’s drug testing standards with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs. The agency said the addition of the two drugs is also in response to fentanyl use and overdose deaths.
“Adding fentanyl and norfentanyl is also in the interest of transportation safety, given compelling information regarding the number of overdose deaths in the United States involving fentanyl,” the agency said.
A public comment period regarding the proposed changes is now through Oct. 17. Comments can be made online at regulations.gov using the docket number DOT-OST-2025-0049.
In January, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and HHS published an issuance of authorized drug testing panels, adding fentanyl to the panels of Schedule I and II drugs and biomarkers authorized for testing in federal workplace drug testing programs. Those new testing panels went into effect on July 7.
The inclusion of fentanyl in the testing panels was suggested as early as 2015. According to HHS, at that time, fentanyl was not added to the panels because it was “primarily found as a mixture with heroin,” something that was already being tested for under the mandatory guidelines.
The agencies pointed out that fentanyl is “increasingly used as a stand-alone substance among people who use drugs, not in conjunction with heroin and other substances,” warranting its addition to the testing panels. LL
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