Alabama House approves mandatory prison time for fentanyl
By a vote of 105-0, the Alabama House of Representatives today passed a bill to impose mandatory prison time for possession of one or more grams of pure fentanyl.
The strong vote did not come as a surprise because legislative leaders and Gov. Kay Ivey have said for weeks that cracking down on fentanyl is a priority. Fentanyl is the leading cause of a surge in overdose deaths. Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids caused almost 70,000 deaths in the United States in 2021.
Fentanyl was a factor in 316 overdose deaths in Jefferson County in 2021. Statewide in Alabama, there were 1,069 fentanyl deaths in 2021, up from 463 the year before, according to the Alabama 2023 Drug Assessment.
Ivey issued a statement today saying that the unanimous vote on House Bill 1 sends a strong message. “I’ve instructed ALEA to make combatting this deadly drug a top priority, and I urge our legislators to quickly send HB 1 to my desk, so I can sign it into law,” Ivey said.
Fentanyl has been produced for decades as a treatment for severe pain such as for patients with advanced cancer. Illicit fentanyl is made mostly in Mexico and is in powder or pill form. Officials say drug dealers mix it with other drugs like heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine to increase the potency. Many overdose victims do not know they are ingesting fentanyl, law enforcement and health officials say.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, would impose a mandatory sentence of three years in prison for possession of one to two grams. Two milligrams is considered a potentially lethal dose, meaning that one gram is enough to potentially cause 500 deaths.
Under Simpson’s bill, possession of two to four grams would require a 10-year sentence, four to eight grams would require 25 years, and eight grams or more would mean a life sentence. The bill moves to the Senate.
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