Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter commended the Legislature on Tuesday for sending the first piece of opioid crisis legislation to the Governor. Senate Bill 1078 criminalizes the trafficking of fentanyl and its equivalents. It was a recommendation from the Oklahoma Commission on Opioid Abuse.
“In 2016, fentanyl accounted for more than 20,000 deaths in the United States, overtaking overdose deaths attributed to heroin, cocaine, meth and methadone,” Hunter said. “Criminalizing fentanyl provides our law enforcement partners with a vital tool to arrest and charge drug traffickers, who are looking to sell fentanyl and its equivalent to Oklahomans. Without this important legislation, a drug trafficker could have pounds of fentanyl in a vehicle during a traffic stop and law enforcement wouldn’t be able to take action.
“I thank the members of both the House and Senate for working together to pass this legislation. This is a significant step in the right direction as we work to curb the state’s opioid epidemic.”
