NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As fentanyl continues to circulate in Tennessee, lawmakers are working to enhance the penalties for those caught with the deadly drug.
HB1242 ups the charge to a Class B felony for people arrested with more than half a gram of fentanyl. The legislation will be discussed in committees in both the house and senate Tuesday.
Each year, the deadly drug continues to be more commonly found as more drugs are laced with it. The DEA recently found that six out of ten fake prescription pills now contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.
The most recent overdose report from the state shows overdose deaths involving fentanyl increased by 46 percent between 2018 and 2019. The most deaths happened in Tennesseans ages 25-34. Davidson, Dickson, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Williamson and Wilson Counties all saw a significant increase in fentanyl overdose deaths
