Law enforcement in Wisconsin can now charge people who manufacture and deal variations of the opiate fentanyl.
Gov. Scott Walker signed a new law Friday outlawing all variations of fentanyl, an opioid pain medication that’s stronger — and more lethal — than heroin.
“This law will help law enforcement crack down on the distribution, sale, and use of certain types of fentanyl, which can be 50 times stronger than heroin,” Walker said in a prepared statement.
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The plan was sponsored by Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc.
Kleefisch said people who make fentanyl analogs in Wisconsin have been able to avoid legal trouble, because some of the analogs haven’t been listed as illegal substances.
Changing just one part of the chemical makeup of the drug would technically make it legal.
“Right now, fentanyl is killing more people than heroin, that’s because those who are creating it in labs are sitting outside the reach of the law,” Kleefisch said. “It’s being made in labs and police can do nothing about it.”
The new law makes having, making, or dealing all fentanyl analogs a felony.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 4:32 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, with original reporting from WPR.
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