The Drug Enforcement Administration is proposing to list 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine (DOC), two phenethylamine hallucinogens, under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a notice published Dec. 13. "If finalized, this action would impose the regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to schedule I controlled substances on persons who handle (manufacture, distribute, reverse distribute, import, export, engage in research, conduct instructional activities or chemical analysis with, or possess), or propose to handle these two specific controlled substances." Comments are due by Jan. 12.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is temporarily adding six synthetic cannabinoids -- MDMB-4en-PINACA, 4F-MDMB-BUTICA, ADB-4en-PINACA, CUMYL-PEGACLONE, 5F-EDMB-PICA and MMB-FUBICA -- to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a temporary scheduling order. The listing takes effect Dec. 12, and will be in effect for up to three years.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is listing nine fentanyl-related substances -- meta-fluorofentanyl, meta-fluoroisobutyryl fentanyl, para-methoxyfuranyl fentanyl, 3-furanyl fentanyl, 2′,5′-dimethoxyfentanyl, isovaleryl fentanyl, ortho-fluorofuranyl fentanyl, alpha′-methyl butyryl fentanyl, and para-methylcyclopropyl fentanyl -- under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a final rule released Dec. 6. The nine substances had already been temporarily controlled under a 2018 order that's set to expire Dec. 31, 2024. The permanent listing takes effect Dec. 7.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is updating its Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard for child restraint systems, it said in a final rule released Dec. 4. Changes effective in one year, on Dec. 5, 2024, include updates to child restraint system "owner registration program requirements, labeling requirements on correctly using child restraints” and “requirements for add-on school bus-specific child restraint systems,” NHTSA said. Effective Dec. 5, 2026, NHTSA will replace the safety standard, FMVSS No. 213, with new FMVSS No. 213b, which will include both the above changes as well as changes to NHTSA testing requirements for child restraint systems, the agency said.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is issuing a final rule listing the contiguous U.S. distinct population segment of the North American wolverine (Gulo gulo luscus) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The listing includes a 4(d) rule for this species that prohibits importation and exportation without a permit. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rule take effect Jan. 2.
The executive director of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Secretariat said the perspective of what purpose APEC serves has changed. "We used to say trade and investment are our bread and butter," Rebecca Sta Maria said, referring to the goals of the 21 countries in the forum.
Former president and current frontrunner for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said that he would kill the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework if he were president, according to a report from Reuters. Trump told voters in Iowa on Nov. 18 that he would "knock out" IPEF, and called the agreement "TPP Two," referring to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, from which he withdrew the U.S. as one of his first acts after taking office in January 2017 (see 1701230041). According to Reuters, Trump said that the "Biden plan for 'TPP Two'" would be "dead on day one." He also said IPEF is worse than TPP, saying it threatens to "pulverize farmers and manufacturers" and send more jobs to Asia.
An academic and journalists from England and Foreign Policy magazine agreed that President Joe Biden got more out of the meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping than Xi did.
The National Marine Fisheries Service is postponing by an additional two years an upcoming requirement that foreign countries and fisheries be found comparable in marine mammal protections for their fish and fish products to be eligible for import into the U.S., the agency said in a notice released Nov. 16. The extension until Dec. 31, 2025, gives NMFS "additional time to complete its assessment" of the 134 country applications for comparability findings the agency has received, covering over 2,500 foreign fisheries.
The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission recommended that Congress evaluate the national security threat posed by the import of Chinese-made electronics products, and then, "to eliminate or mitigate risks identified in the threat matrix evaluation, Congress should consider the use of all trade tools, including tariffs."