Hobbs vetoes bill increasing penalties for fentanyl distribution that leads to death

Published: Tuesday, April 11, 2023 - 2:22pm

Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed a bill that would have increased the penalty for those convicted of selling fentanyl to someone who died from it.

The measure would have also made it a Class 2 felony to knowingly manufacture fentanyl that causes injury to anyone under 15. 

In rejecting the bill, Hobbs said the proposal would have undermined a good Samaritan law she signed last week

That law will extend legal protections for people who intervene to save someone experiencing an opioid overdose.

Proponents of the failed bill say it would have deterred illegal distribution of the drug.

Hobbs urged the Legislature to draft a narrower bill focusing more on the manufacture of fentanyl.

Politics