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Baker signs bill to crack down on fentanyl trafficking

BOB SALSBERG, Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — A law signed Tuesday by Gov. Charlie Baker makes trafficking of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic drug sometimes mixed with heroin, a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The Legislature approved the bill as one response to an opioid abuse epidemic that claimed an estimated 1,250 deaths in Massachusetts last year, almost triple the number from five years ago.
The measure is intended to close a loophole in state law that previously meant fentanyl traffickers could only be charged with manufacturing, dispensing or possessing the drug.
“Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid and a deadly one,” said Attorney General Maura Healey, who pushed strongly for passage of the bill. “Drug cartels have figured out a way to make this new drug, and they are sending it into our state in massive quantities.”
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Drug Enforcement Administration, Massachusetts in 2014 had the second-highest number of seizures of fentanyl, which officials said can be 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine.
Among those attending the Statehouse bill signing ceremony was Catherine Fennelly, whose 21-year-old son, Paul Connolly, died of a fentanyl overdose in February.
Baker called the addiction crisis staggering and said the new law would help to “break the back of this terrible epidemic.”
The governor on Tuesday also met with Chris Herren, a former Massachusetts high school basketball star who went on to play in the NBA and who now speaks publicly about his own yearslong battle with addiction.
Herren, who first met Baker during last year’s gubernatorial campaign, backs the governor’s proposal to allow doctors and other medical professionals to commit a person involuntarily to a drug treatment facility for up to 72 hours if they’re considered an immediate danger to themselves or others. Currently, a judge’s order is required for a civil commitment and such orders can be difficult to obtain at night or on weekends.
“I can identify personally, being that patient who was put on the street hours after,” said Herren. “I think many lives will be saved and many families affected.”
House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stan Rosenberg, who were also on hand for the bill signing, pledged to take up additional measures aimed at fighting the opioid crisis when lawmakers return from recess in January.
“We must use all the tools in the toolbox to fight the opioid epidemic plaguing the Commonwealth, and I am pleased to sign this bill into law as a step in the right direction to crack down on the trafficking of one of the most lethal drugs on the street,” said Baker. “I appreciate the efforts by Attorney General Healey and the legislature to put this bill on my desk and look forward to aggressively pursuing additional legislation to address this public health epidemic.”
“By criminalizing the trafficking of fentanyl we are giving police and law enforcement officials one more tool to get these drugs off our streets,” said Healey. “We now have a law that fits the crime. I thank Governor Baker and Chairman Fernandes for their leadership and the people who have had the courage to share their stories of what this drug has done to their families. It is because of them that we were able to get this bill passed and it is because of them we will continue to fight the battle against this crisis every day.”
“Combatting the opioid crisis in Massachusetts and supporting individuals struggling with addiction requires a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach,” DeLeo said. “Criminalizing fentanyl trafficking is an important part of that equation as we continue our efforts related to treatment and prevention, and build off last year’s landmark substance addiction bill. I thank Chairman Fernandes, Attorney General Healey and Governor Baker for their foresight and prompt action on this urgent and distressing matter.”
“Fentanyl is 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin and this legislation is another tool in our continued effort to combat the ongoing opioid crisis. I am glad to work with Speaker DeLeo, Attorney General Healey, and Governor Baker to pass this important bill to appropriately punish those who traffic fentanyl,” said Rosenberg. “We will continue to work on other methods to fight substance abuse, reduce new addiction through greater education and diversion, provide access to treatment, and hopefully curtail the scourge of opioid abuse in our communities.”

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