Illinois lawmakers are considering two bills to ease an overdose crisis linked to a deadly drug.
Senator Laura Ellman of Naperville explains how deadly the opioid overdose crisis has been across Illinois, which she says is largely fueled by one drug, fentanyl.
"In 2020, Illinois lost 2,944 of our loved ones to opioid overdoses, which is double the number of homicides," Ellman said.
Ellman says many of the overdoses come from the use of other illegal drugs which are laced with fentanyl. She's sponsoring a bill that would impose longer prison sentences on people convicted of selling or making drugs that are mixed with fentanyl.
Another bill would allow pharmacies to distribute test kits so people can check if drugs have been laced with fentanyl before taking them.