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Committee hears bill to make adulterating controlled substances with fentanyl a felony
Summary
Senate File 319 would create a felony for knowingly adulterating other drugs or packaging with fentanyl; testimony from bereaved families and law enforcement groups supported the bill, which was laid over for further consideration.
Senate File 319, presented by Senator Eric Kran (transcript spelling), would criminalize knowingly adulterating controlled substances or their packaging with fentanyl or knowingly substituting fentanyl into controlled substances, elevating such conduct to a felony.
Senator Kran described the bill as a response to the fentanyl crisis and its potency: "fentanyl... being 50 times stronger than almost any other drug out there," he said, and he urged a multifaceted approach including education, law enforcement and lifesaving interventions such as naloxone.
Michelle Heine testified about her son Tyler, who died in July 2020 after taking a counterfeit pill she says contained fentanyl. "That pill only cost him $20 and he thought he was buying a Percocet," Heine said. She described founding the Fentanyl Free Communities Foundation to educate Minnesotans about fentanyl risk and urged the committee to hold those who mix fentanyl into other drugs accountable.
The Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association and Sheriffs Association expressed support for the bill; Chief Potts (transcript name) and other law‑enforcement witnesses emphasized the prevalence of fentanyl in the illicit pill supply and presented national and state overdose statistics.
The committee heard the testimony and laid SF 319 over for additional consideration.
