CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Gov. Justice took time to remind all West Virginians that the bill he signed in April, cracking down on traffickers of fentanyl and other deadly drugs, is set to go into effect this Friday, June 10, 2022.
Senate Bill 536, also known as the Fentanyl Bill, delivers on the Governor’s promise of being tough on drug dealers and traffickers by increasing penalties for distributing fentanyl in West Virginia and for transporting fentanyl into West Virginia from another state. This bill also makes it a crime to involve a person under the age of 18 in distributing any controlled substance.
Fentanyl, which is 80-100 times stronger than morphine and lethal in extremely small doses, has become a devastating and expansive problem in West Virginia, affecting people and families from all walks of life.
“What we’re basically doing is putting a line in the sand and saying, ‘If you bring fentanyl into West Virginia, it’s going to be tough, tough sledding for you,’” Gov. Justice said. “The penalties and the jail time is going to be astronomically different than it has been, and I couldn’t be happier, because the situation with fentanyl being brought into our state and killing our people, especially our kids, it’s tragic beyond belief.”