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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 12, 2024 11:28 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Marla Brown |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Mandatory Sentences for Fentanyl Delivery |
| Despite various efforts and different approaches over the past few years, the opioid epidemic continues to devastate both our country and our Commonwealth. Over the last five years, drug overdose deaths have continued to rise in many counties, including my own district. This epidemic has been exacerbated by the continued proliferation of fentanyl, an inexpensive-to-produce synthetic opioid that is proving more and more deadly as users of drugs such as heroin are oblivious to the fact that fentanyl is being mixed with their drug of choice. In 2022, around 5,200 people died from drug overdoses in Pennsylvania, many from fentanyl. In Lawrence County, 84 people died from drug overdoses in 2022 with 80% being caused by fentanyl. In fact, Lawrence County had one of the highest fatal overdose rates in the entire nation, based on population. The rate of overdose deaths per 100,000 residents in 2022 was 99.0, the second highest in the Commonwealth, behind only Montour County. However, in the vast majority of cases in order for this poison to get into the hands of our citizens it must be brought into and sold in our communities by criminals. Recently in my district, three people from Detroit were arrested and five others were taken into custody after New Castle Police said two search warrants turned up heroin and fentanyl, guns and cash. As fentanyl continues to flow into our country because of our current crisis at the border, we can expect criminals to continue to traffic this deadly poison. For that reason, I will be introducing legislation based on SB 541 from last session to target dealers of fentanyl by establishing increased sentencing guidelines and penalties specifically related to the trafficking of fentanyl. My hope is this will provide law enforcement and prosecutors with another tool to stop the devastating impact fentanyl trafficking is having in our communities. Please join me in cosponsoring this important legislation |
Introduced as HB2163