The South Carolina State House has approved a bill that would bring about stiffer penalties to fight the fentanyl epidemic. The bill passed by a landslide vote of 103 to 1 yesterday and will now go to Governor McMaster, who's expected to sign it.
The bill would impose a 25 year max sentence for a 1st conviction for trafficking less than half an ounce of fentanyl. A 2nd conviction would be a mandatory minimum of a quarter century behind bars. The sentence goes up to a possible 40 years for those caught with an ounce or more.
In 2021, 1,500 people statewide died from fentanyl overdoses, accounting for over 65% of fatal overdoses in South Carolina. The bill also calls for stiffer penalties for those caught with guns while trafficking fentanyl.