Health
Imposing strong penalties on dealers for death from fentanyl
Cody Rodenbo recalls having a conversation with his son Parker at the end of his first year of college.He decided to move his school to Mississippi State University Studying architecture, they talked about his future.
“He said,’Mom, I just want to make a difference in the world,’ she said recently.
Parker died in 2014 at the age of 22 Before his third year of college, he took it at a party and caused severe convulsions due to the effects of a drug called 25b-NB0me, or “synthetic LSD”. Two acquaintances at the party later testified in court that they had sought medical care, after Parker turned blue and appeared to have stopped breathing.
His death due to the toxic effects of drugs was the first known incident in Mississippi, and drug-related deaths are believed to have charged drug dealers with murder. Skylar O’Kelly, who sold him synthetic LSD, was convicted of drug trafficking and a second murder and sentenced to two simultaneous 10-year sentences in 2016.
However, the murder conviction was overturned by the State Court of Appeals in 2018, and evidence to support the indictment turned out to be inadequate. O’Kelly was later resented on suspicion of drug trafficking and remained in state detention.
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Since then, Rodenbo has devoted his life to talking to families who have lost their loved ones due to drug overdose. In recent years, the number of deaths from synthetic opioids has skyrocketed in Mississippi, so she is training Naloxone at her home. However, much of her focus is on lobbying activities that seek stricter legislation to hold drug dealers accountable for death from overdose.
Attempts to pass such a law have failed until this year. HB 607 Well known as ―― Parker’s Law — Approved by state legislators in March. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed the bill on April 19.
Earlier versions were already faced with criticism from mental health advocates who criminalized vulnerable people, prevented them from seeking help, and feared death from overdose.
The version of the bill passed is specifically targeted at the sale of fentanyl. A person charged with fentanyl drug distribution may face life imprisonment for 20 years if the sale directly leads to death from overdose. A person can face a life imprisonment of at least 20 years for the sale of fentanyl, and having it directly leads to death from overdose. The law will come into effect on July 1.
However, drug users who share and overdose drugs or seek medical assistance for those who overdose cannot be claimed by law.
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Parliamentarian Nick Bain said the law was written with the input of mental health experts and provided prosecutors with tools to track this type of crime.
“And I believe it’s a crime,” he said. “The bill is narrow, tailored to fentanyl, aimed at acting as a shield for addicts, and aimed at those who are trying to abuse them because they are addicts.”
Death from a surge in drug overdose
During the pandemic, deaths from drug overdose surged. According to CDC data, there were more than 100,000 deaths from overdose in the United States during 2020, with 586 being Mississippian culture.
The number of deaths involving fentanyl increased from 139 in 2019 to 313 in 2020. Mississippi Health Department.. More than half of these deaths are related to the use of multiple substances, and about one-third are people under the age of 35.
One of the main causes of this crisis in Mississippi and across the country is the spread and availability of illegal fentanyl, said Colonel Stephen Maxwell, director of the Mississippi drug bureau.
Unlike pharmaceutical grade fentanyl, it can be cut, colored, scored, pressed and sold as a counterfeit product of other illicit drugs such as Xanax, Ritalin and Oxycodone.
Fentanyl is extremely deadly and is about 50 times more powerful than heroin.
“2 milligrams of fentanyl is essentially lethal,” Maxwell said.
In general, this amount is equivalent to about 15-20 grains of salt.
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His agency is at stake by working with state health authorities to educate the general public about the risks associated with the misuse and abuse of drugs that may be contaminated with illicit drugs or fentanyl. It corresponds.
“When we talk to high school students about this, we’re trying to impress that it’s no longer just marijuana, but potentially marijuana mixed with fentanyl and other synthetics. And often retail-level sellers (small sales). ) I don’t know what they sell for themselves. ”
A new focus on drug murder
Convictions for murder in the case of drug overdose are still rare, but an increase in synthetic opioid-related deaths Encouraged more states to consider legislation that would make drug distributors accountable.
As of 2019, 25 states have enacted some form of drug murder law in their books. Temple University Prescription Drug Abuse Policy System.. Criminal accusations vary from state to state, from manslaughter to murder with life imprisonment without parole.
In Mississippi, the Okery case was one of the first known cases of murder convictions in addition to drug trafficking charges. Last month, Jackson-based Carlos Allen was sentenced to 124 years in prison without the possibility of parole for drug trafficking fentanyl, resulting in the death of a 24-year-old man from overdose in 2021.
But these cases remain some of the few exceptions.
Drug murder has been criticized by drug policy experts since the 1980s for considering vulnerable drug users as a crime rather than effectively targeting drug distributors.
Angela Mallet, founder of the Mississippi Harm Reduction Initiative, says it is an organization advocating health-based solutions for addicted people.
“Passing these kinds of laws increases the fear of drug users seeking help,” she said. “There is nothing to reduce the number of people who use it. People will still use the substances they depend on. But now, if someone overdose, they can be prosecuted for murder. Such In the scenario, it just helps more people die. “
In addition to the safety net built into the Parker Act, the Mississippi State Parliament’s Independent Commission must evaluate and report how many people are being prosecuted each year under the provisions of the bill.
“This will be a good way to see how this law works and whether it is causing harmful practices,” she said.
Fallout from a surprising number of deadly overdose associated with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids is being carried by the entire community. Janice Berlin, Madison, Mississippi, mourns the deaths of her two sons due to drug overdose and is learning how to live again. Her eldest son Eric died in 2014 at the age of 33.
Her other son, Devin, was 24 when he died of fentanyl addiction at home in 2017 after taking what he thought was a percoset. She made a video call with him just two hours before his death.
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“Loss of him completely destroyed our lives. I gradually revived,” Berlin said.
And like many parents who have lost their children in Fentanyl in recent years, Berlin has become an active part of the community, providing support and support to others who are saddening their loved ones.
“This isn’t just me. Moms and dads lose their kids every day and they have to stop,” she said. “This is a war against our children.”
Maria Clark is a general affairs reporter for American South. Story ideas, tips, questions? Send her an email to [email protected] or follow her on her Twitter @ MariaPClark1. Sign up for the Southern United States newsletter. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
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