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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | September 21, 2021 02:03 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Karen Boback |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Legislation - Increase Penalties for Manufacture/Sale of Fentanyl-Laced Drugs |
| According to recent statistics, between 2015 and 2018 the number of drug-related overdose deaths in Pennsylvania increased by 36%. This sharp increase in fatalities, which shows no signs of dissipating, can be largely attributed to the rise in the illegal sale and usage of fentanyl, an opiate-based drug that is 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin. Indeed, the consumption of a mere two milligrams of the powerful drug can prove fatal for many drug users. With full knowledge of the palpable risks posed by the drug, many drug dealers will nevertheless mix fentanyl with other street drugs, including cocaine, heroin, crystal meth, Oxycodone, and Xanax, in order to increase potency and thereby increase demand for the drug. Alarmingly, drug users will often be ignorant of the fact that the drug they are about to ingest contains a lethal dosage of fentanyl. Accordingly, I intend to introduce legislation that will create stiffer criminal penalties for any drug dealer who knowingly manufactures or sells fentanyl-laced drugs. Thousands of individuals, including children, have tragically lost their lives to this formidable and indiscriminate drug. Many of our law enforcement officers have inadvertently inhaled traces of the drug while executing search warrants and effectuating arrests. This drug poses a significant risk to our communities and I believe that this legislation is necessary to not only combat the sale and production of fentanyl on our streets, but to also save the lives of drug users who are at risk of unwittingly ingesting the deadly drug. I hope you will join me in cosponsoring this important legislation to better protect our Commonwealth residents. |
Introduced as HB2134