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Lawmakers hold public hearing on bills that would criminalize possession or sale of pill presses amid fentanyl deaths
Summary
Two companion bills would make possession, sale or distribution of a pill press (tabletting equipment) a Class C felony; sponsors and law enforcement described counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and urged the committee to adopt a stricter penalty to disrupt illicit manufacturing.
Representatives Jeff Helfrich and Vanessa Hartman and law enforcement witnesses told the House Judiciary Committee on April 17 that pill presses — machines that press powder into tablets — are being used to produce counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, and they sought a statutory change to elevate possession or distribution of that equipment to a Class C felony.
Why it matters: Witnesses said pill presses are central to an expanding counterfeit-pill trade that has contributed to a sharp rise in overdose deaths. Committee members heard testimony that counterfeit pills can be cheaper and…
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