Lawmakers in the Arizona Senate have advanced a bill that would allow law enforcement to charge fentanyl dealers with first-degree murder. It comes amid a continued opioid epidemic in the state and nationwide.
Under the proposal those who supply, transport or sell fentanyl could face life in prison or the death penalty in Arizona. The harsher punishments would come into play if a drug-user buys the synthetic opioid and then dies from an overdose.
The text of the bill introduced by Glendale Republican Anthony Kern groups fatal fentanyl sales with other crimes like drive-by shootings and arson. Selling fentanyl to those who die of an overdose is currently punishable by jail time.
Critics of the bill say it would target drug users themselves and won’t address the roots causes of overdoses.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 80% of fatal opioid overdoses in the U.S. involve synthetic drugs like fentanyl.
Arizona Department of Health Services data shows more than 1,600 people in the state died from opioid overdoses last year.
Twenty-five were in Coconino County and 50 were in Yavapai County.
