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Law enforcement and sponsors urge ban on pill‑press machines; committee hears public‑safety case
Summary
Supporters of House Bill 2046 told the Joint Committee on the Judiciary that pill‑press machines enable local production of counterfeit pills and fentanyl‑laced products and urged criminalization of possession and distribution of devices intended for illegal drug manufacture.
District Attorney and sponsor testimony urged the Joint Committee on the Judiciary to support House Bill 2046 to make possession, manufacture or distribution of pill‑press machines used for illicit drug production a criminal offense. Witnesses said the machines make it easier to produce counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and other dangerous adulterants.
Representative Wells and others described evolving local drug markets and the relative ease of obtaining pill‑press equipment online. Witnesses with law‑enforcement backgrounds said regulating the devices would mirror other public‑safety prohibitions on specialized equipment used to create illegal narcotics or weapons and would assist prosecutors and police investigating local pill production.
Sponsors said the bill was prompted by district attorneys’ concerns and urged the committee to report it favorably. Committee chairs invited written testimony and asked sponsors and law enforcement to submit comparative statutory language and enforcement guidance; no formal vote was taken during the hearing.
