LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Michigan House is sending a package of bills to colleagues in the Senate that would clamp down on penalties for fentanyl dealers.
State Rep. Sarah Lightner (R-Springport), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said House Bills 4255 and 4256 bump up mandatory minimum prison sentences for those convicted of manufacturing, distributing, or possessing fentanyl with intent to deliver.
“Michigan is sending a clear, powerful message to fentanyl dealers and traffickers: your devastating impact on our families and communities will no longer go unanswered,” said Lightner. “This legislation provides law enforcement and prosecutors the critical tools they need to aggressively confront this epidemic and protect our citizens.”
Under the bills, the mandatory minimum sentences based on the weight of fentanyl look like this:
- Less than 50 grams: 5 to 20 years
- 50 to 450 grams: 10 to 25 years
- 450 to 1,000 grams: 15 to 40 years
- More than 1,000 grams: 30 years to life
The statistics show nearly 2,300 Michiganders died from opioid overdoses in 2023. Ninety-five percent of those deaths involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
Rep. Ann Bollin (R-Brighton Township) appeared on The Steve Gruber Show on Monday morning. She emphasized that fentanyl “doesn’t discriminate” and families are feeling the pain of those overdoses all across Michigan.
Rep. Dave Prestin (R-Cedar River) said the areas he represents in the Upper Peninsula are not immune from fentanyl-related deaths. “In the last few years, five young men have died of a fentanyl overdose in Rapid River, a small town outside Escanaba,” Rep. Prestin said. “Several of those young men graduated high school together in 2021. The overdose crisis led to the creation of a group, Overdose Awareness of Delta County, who work to educate the public about the dangers of fentanyl.”
