Sen. John Curran | Facebook
Sen. John Curran | Facebook
A bill sponsored by Sen. Laura Ellman (D-Naperville) to combat the state's fentanyl crisis proposes increasing penalties for those who mix fentanyl with other substances. Sen. John Curran (R-Lemont), though, thinks that some elements of the legislation might turn out to be counterproductive.
“We do have a crisis with regards to fentanyl and deaths. These people are not knowingly ingesting fentanyl, but the product they’re acquiring is being laced with it," Curran said from the Senate floor. "If we want to get serious about combatting that and getting the people that are lacing these products with fentanyl - to add the element 'known or should have known' to the prosecution - to raise that burden in holding one accountable for those actions - that is a giant step backwards in accountability.”
According to ABC Heart of Illinois News, Ellman's bill would also provide immunity for those seeking medical treatment who have opioids in their system. It would also provide immunity for the person who calls 911 or brings someone who is suffering an overdose to a hospital as well.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported that 2,944 people from Illinois lost their lives in 2020 to opioid overdose. It increased by 33% from 2019. Deaths caused by an overdose of synthetic opioids increased from 2013 to 2020 by 2,736%.
According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics (NCDAS), 97,779 Americans lost their lives from March 2020 to March 2021 to drug overdoses. The major factor in more than 70% of the deaths was opioids.
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