Bill creates manslaughter charge for drug dealers when a death occurs
AUGUSTA – Lawmakers on Friday got their first look at a bill that would create a new manslaughter charge for drug dealers who provide illegal drugs that result in a death.
The charge could lead a Class A felony conviction, the state’s highest level of crime, punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Sen. Scott Cyrway, R-Benton, the bill’s sponsor, offered a passionate pitch for the change, at one point choking up and pausing as he emphasized how extensive Maine’s ongoing opioid crisis has been, and noting it was likely every person in the room had been impacted by at least one overdose death, if not more.
The move comes as Maine’s overdose deaths climbed for the fifth straight year in 2016, soaring nearly 40 percent to claim a record 378 people. Opioid drugs, especially fentanyl and heroin, caused most of the deaths, according to figures released Thursday by the state Attorney General’s Office. The 378 fatalities surpassed the previous record of 272 set in 2015.
Read more: http://www.pressherald.com/2017/03/31/bill-creates-manslaughter-charge-for-drug-dealers-when-a-death-occurs/