MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama lawmakers on Thursday accredited harsher penalties for trafficking fentanyl - with punishments of as much as life imprisonment - as lawmakers attempt to reply to the lethal overdose disaster.

The Alabama Senate accredited the House-passed invoice on a 31-0 vote that got here with none debate. The invoice now goes to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey who stated she is going to signal the laws into legislation “in the swiftest order.” The invoice units obligatory minimal sentences for fentanyl trafficking primarily based upon the load of the drug together with as much as life imprisonment for possession of eight grams or extra of the lethal substance.

“Combatting this deadly drug will continue to be a top priority for our Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and I will do everything in my power to stop this drug from being a killer in Alabama,” Ivey stated in an announcement. The Republican governor used her State of the State deal with final month to induce lawmakers to approve the stiffer penalties.

Fentanyl is a strong artificial opioid drug. It is commonly blended into different medication, together with heroin, methamphetamine and counterfeit ache tablets so individuals won't know they're ingesting it. In 2021 artificial opioids, primarily fentanyl, had been chargeable for killing greater than 70,000 individuals within the Unites States, in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lawmakers in a number of states throughout the nation need to improve fentanyl penalties in an effort to fight what’s been referred to as the deadliest overdose disaster in U.S. historical past. The Alabama laws by Republican Matt Simpson, a former prosecutor, units obligatory jail sentences and fines for trafficking one gram of fentanyl or extra.

Simpson stated the weights are for “pure fentanyl” as a substitute of the mixed weight when fentanyl is blended with one other drug. He stated the intent is to focus on sellers as a substitute of people who find themselves shopping for medication which may have been blended with fentanyl.

“One gram seems low… However, one gram can kill up to 500 people. One gram is not for personal use,” Simpson stated.

The obligatory penalties are:

- Three years in jail for quantities between one gram and two grams.

- Ten years in jail for quantities between two grams and 4 grams.

- Twenty-five years in jail for quantities between 4 grams and eight grams.

- Life imprisonment with the potential of parole for quantities of eight grams or extra.

Barry Matson, government director of the Alabama District Attorneys Association, stated whereas the invoice handed with little ground debate, there had been lots of discussions with lawmakers forward of the vote. He stated a number of lawmakers wished assurances that the weights weren’t too low.

“A gram of fentanyl will kill a lot of people,” Matson stated.

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