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Georgia Senate adopts narrower fentanyl trafficking language after hours of floor debate
Summary
After several hours of floor debate and multiple late amendments, the Georgia Senate passed an amended version of House Bill 535 that tightens trafficking penalties tied to fentanyl. Lawmakers agreed to replace a broad "mixture" standard with language focused on larger quantities of fentanyl.
The Georgia Senate late Tuesday adopted an amended House Bill 535 that increases penalties tied to fentanyl offenses while narrowing the statute’s reach after an extended floor fight over whether the bill could criminalize people who possess drugs unknowingly laced with fentanyl.
Senators voted unanimously, 53–0, to pass the committee substitute after the chamber adopted an amendment (Amendment 3) that replaced broader language about “any mixture containing” fentanyl with wording focused on 4 grams or more of fentanyl. The sponsor framed the change as a response to a rise in fatal overdoses.
Senator from the 46th, the bill sponsor, told the chamber the measure was aimed at traffickers and grieving families: “It has…
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