COLUMBIA, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – A bill aimed at holding drug dealers accountable for deaths related to fentanyl passed unanimously in the South Carolina Senate on Wednesday.
S.156 would allow prosecutors to charge drug dealers who distribute fentanyl that results in an overdose with ‘fentanyl-induced homicide.’ The penalty is up to 30 years in prison.
Victim advocates and family members of those who have died from fentanyl are encouraged by the bill’s progress.
“We have written letters. We have made phone calls. We have really pushed our legislators to take action with this as quickly as possible,” said Holly Alsobrooks, co-founder of the awareness group, ‘Fentanyl Kills U.’
The York County-based organization has been pushing for legal action to hold drug dealers accountable for fentanyl poisonings for nearly five years.
The South Carolina Department of Public Health reports that fentanyl is the leading cause of overdose deaths. It is often mixed with other illicit drugs, such as cocaine or methamphetamine, risking a fatal overdose for individuals unaware they’re consuming the substance.
State officials report 1,734 South Carolinians died from an overdose in 2020. Of those deaths, at least 1,100 involved fentanyl.
Lawmakers have introduced similar bills over the past two years but have failed to pass both chambers.
Alsobrooks said she’s not surprised the measure has bipartisan support.
“It has been many years that this has been sitting and waiting to go,” she said. “I think this is going to be the year that it happens because of all of the deaths and because of the pressure in the media and little groups like mine sprouting up everywhere and really just not being quiet about it.”
State Senator Brian Adams is one of the sponsors of the bill. He said the measure is a natural next step in combating fentanyl-related deaths.
“We already have laws in place for trafficking, dealing, possession with intent to distribute, and all that. We just didn’t have the piece in place to go after them if somebody died from the drugs that they sold them,” Adams said. “This would give them that extra tool.”
The Senate is considering a separate measure, S. 183, which widens the offense to ‘drug-related homicide.’ The bill is on hold and requires another reading before it can be brought to a vote.
A House companion bill to S. 183 is currently in committee. State Rep. Brandon Guffey of York County was recently added as a sponsor to H. 3591.
State Rep. Seth Rose, a member of the criminal law subcommittee, said he supports the effort but would like to propose amendments to prevent confusion among the courts.
“If someone distributes fentanyl and it causes the death, there’s no questions that needs to be addressed,” he said. “I think that language needs to be tightened, and we need to actually focus to be very thoughtful on what we are trying to stop.”
Alsobrooks said she hopes to see an all-encompassing drug-induced homicide bill become law. She said the growing presence of xylazine, a drug contributing to oversedation but not responsive to Narcan, has the potential to create more issues a fentanyl-only bill would not cover.
“We want a drug-induced homicide bill to follow right behind this fentanyl-induced homicide bill so that we can cover all these drugs that are coming out because we can’t keep going to Columbia for each individual drug that comes down the street,” she said.
S. 156 now goes to the House for consideration.
The post ‘Extra tool’: SC legislature unanimously passes fentanyl-induced homicide bill first appeared on Enegxi News – News As It’s Happening.
