Legislation Unveiled – New PUNISHMENT for Drug Dealers Ahead?
(ConservativeHub.com) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 107,622 overdose deaths in 2021. Opioids caused 80,816 of those, where fentanyl comprised the majority, with 71,238 victims. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) calls the potent synthetic opioid the “deadliest drug” in the country, as it’s the top reason for loss of life between ages 18 and 45. To combat this issue, members of Congress are pushing for a change in federal felony murder laws.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the Felony Murder for Deadly Fentanyl Distribution Act. The legislation adds the new synthetic opiate distribution to the felony murder statute of the US Code. If the bill passes, drug dealers would face murder charges if the substances they sell contain fentanyl and kill a user.
Rubio, Gonzales introduce legislation to make distributing fentanyl a felony murder offense https://t.co/mx0i22y4mg pic.twitter.com/0EqRfJCrHb
— The Hill (@thehill) September 16, 2022
Rubio described his bill as a way to “make drug dealers pay the price” according to a press release. The measure provides a Republican means to address the Biden administration’s failure to deal with the issue, according to supporters of the bill. Rubio encouraged Congress to act swiftly.
Representative Tony Gonzales (R-TX) advanced a companion measure in the US House of Representatives. In that chamber, 10 members co-sponsored it.
Thirteen senators co-sponsored the act, agreeing an open Southern border and a lack of attention from the White House have spurred on the urgent crisis. In the press release, Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) called it “commonsense legislation” and marked it as the right way to combat this deadly problem. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) compared dealing fentanyl to murdering someone with a gun, justifying a similar treatment under the law. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said the legislation is “long overdue.”
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