JEFFERSON CITY — A measure targeting fentanyl trafficking has passed the Missouri House, but not before drawing mixed reactions from lawmakers over how to deal with the problem of addiction appropriately and effectively.
“This is clearly an epidemic that we need to address,†Rep. David Casteel, the bill sponsor, said in a statement Tuesday. “We’ve seen an alarming surge in fatalities associated with these substances, especially among our younger population.â€
The , which passed Monday evening on a 108-25 vote with 21 lawmakers voting “present,†would decrease the quantity of fentanyl required for first- and second-degree drug trafficking charges.
Currently, first-degree trafficking — or selling — 20 milligrams or more of fentanyl could lead to a Class A felony, which carries a minimum prison sentence of 10 years or maximum of 30 years to life. The proposal lowers the fentanyl quantity for first-degree trafficking to 14 milligrams or more.
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It would also lower the minimum fentanyl quantity for a first-degree trafficking Class B felony charge, which carries a minimum prison sentence of five years, from 10 milligrams down to three milligrams.
And any amount of , a synthetic opioid even more potent than fentanyl, could qualify for felony drug trafficking charges.
“The reason that we’re looking to strengthen the consequences for fentanyl and carfentanil is because it’s extremely deadly, and we want to curb the use and locate the local supplies as quickly as possible,†Casteel, a High Ridge Republican, told the Post-Dispatch.
During floor debate Monday, Rep. Peter Merideth, D-ºüÀêÊÓƵ, said that too often, lawmakers stand up to decry the drug epidemic, insisting ‘We have to do something.’
“But then the only ‘something’ we end up with is let’s lock people up longer. I don’t think that works. It hasn’t worked in the past. I don’t think it’s gonna work in this case,†he said.
But some lawmakers said imprisonment is part of the solution.
Rep. Tricia Byrnes, R-Wentzville, said improvements to the state’s mental health and drug treatment resources are needed. But in the meantime, locking up drug offenders can help, an opinion she said she formed while working at her husband’s criminal defense firm.
“I’ve taken calls over the years from mothers, and their biggest fear often is their child getting out of prison,†Byrnes said. “What happens is if they get out too soon they don’t have the support system. They go right back to what they know. And a lot of times we’ve got calls that our clients have died … We have more clients dying than we ever did 20 years ago.â€
Rep. Barry Hovis, R-Whitewater, a former law enforcement officer, said in his experience arresting drug dealers, he encountered people with substance abuse problems who would get others, including students, to do “all sorts of untold things just to be able to support their habit.â€
“Unfortunately, sometimes prison is the best place for those people,†Hovis said.
Rep. Michael Burton, D-Lakeshire, emphasized the lack of drug treatment options available in Missouri and told the story of trying to find resources for a relative. “I called everywhere in the state, and it was going to take her three to four weeks before she actually got a bed to get treatment,†he said.
Burton asked for the bill sponsor’s support toward increasing state funding of drug treatment programs, and he ultimately voted in favor of the bill.
At a February committee hearing on the measure, an addiction specialist urged against the bill, arguing it would not reduce drug use or overdose deaths, but would have the opposite effect.
“Even though fentanyl and carfentanil are powerful and scary, we know from decades of policy examination and rigorous research that adding stricter penalties to any type of drug use or selling does not work to deter these behaviors,†Rachel Winograd, director of the addiction science team at the Missouri Institute of Mental Health, told lawmakers. “If anything, it just makes it less likely people will call 911 for help when there is an overdose, because they fear being caught and charged with drug possession or selling.â€
The measure now moves to the Senate for consideration.
This legislation is Hous