Heading to the governor’s desk: legislation that stiffens penalties for trafficking fentanyl.
The Fentanyl Eradication and Removal Act imposes a range of mandatory minimum sentences on those convicted of fentanyl trafficking. The smallest amounts covered by the bill—between 4 and 14 grams—would result in a minimum sentence of five years in prison.
Opponents of the bill agreed that fentanyl is a major issue in Georgia but argued that mandatory minimums have been shown to be ineffective in multiple studies dating back to the 1990s.
Supporters countered that adopting mandatory minimums for members of drug gangs trafficking fentanyl into Georgia could deter them from bringing their operations into the state. The bill passed 50–3 in the Senate and unanimously in the House.
