Des Moines, IA- Governor Reynolds has signed a bill into law that increases the criminal penalties for making or selling drugs laced with fentanyl.
“Between 2019 and 2022, Iowa saw a 45% increase in opioid deaths,” Reynolds says, “including and especially a 160% increase for those under the age of 25.”
Radio Iowa reports that the bill doubles the penalty for making and selling illegal drugs. Those caught with 50 grams of fentanyl could be sentenced to 50 years in prison. Penalties are also enhanced for selling illegal drugs to minors.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said that there are also harsher penalties for providing drugs that lead to overdoses or death.
“This law brings the drug dealers who kill to justice,” Bird says. “It gives prosecutors the tools that we need to seek justice for the victims of crime and their families.”
The governor hosted a roundtable discussion in Atlantic about drug crimes before she signed the bill into law.
