North Carolina Senate approves tougher drug dealing penalties

The North Carolina Senate unanimously passed legislation Tuesday to toughen criminal penalties for drug dealers whose distribution of fentanyl and other controlled substances leads to death by overdose.

The proposal, now before the House of Representatives, would criminalize death caused by the distribution of a potent synthetic opioid and doing so with malicious intent.

It will also increase penalties for trafficking in heroin, fentanyl and carfentanil — a synthetic opioid commonly used as a tranquilizer for elephants and other large mammals — and amend the state’s Good Samaritan law to create limited immunity for those who own less than one grams of fentanyl. who calls 911 to report an overdose.

“This part of the poison called fentanyl kills people every day in North Carolina and across America,” said Sen. Tom McInnis, a Republican and top contributor to Moore County, during a floor debate.

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According to the state’s latest available data from the Department of Health and Human Services, fentanyl was likely involved in the overdose deaths of more than 3,000 North Carolina residents in 2021.

The bill says that dealers with a long track record who commit these crimes under aggravated circumstances could face more than ten years in prison. Those who act with malicious intent face over 30 years in prison. The proposal was supported by the North Carolina Sheriffs Association.

The previous version of the bill passed through the Senate in 2019 but never made it to the House of Representatives.