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Wyoming interim judiciary probes fentanyl penalties, asks staff to map other states' laws
Summary
Lawmakers heard testimony on fentanyl potency, trafficking penalties in other Western states and prosecution limits in Wyoming, and directed legislative staff to prepare a comparative penalties spreadsheet, statute text, and research on effectiveness of enhanced sentences and distribution-to-minor provisions.
The Joint Judiciary interim committee heard extensive testimony on fentanyl enforcement and penalties, and directed legislative staff to compile a comparative spreadsheet of other states’ fentanyl statutes and related research.
The issue matters because illicit fentanyl and its analogs have driven recent overdose deaths and present different prosecution and public-safety tradeoffs than other controlled substances. Committee staff said other Western states have enacted tiered mandatory minimums and enhanced trafficking penalties, while Wyoming’s statutory structure includes special penalties when minors are involved.
Clarissa Nord of the Legislative Service Office told the committee “fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that's estimated to be 50 to 100 times more potent than other drugs, such…
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