Eastern Wisconsin’s representative in the Senate has introduced a bill that takes aim at the ever-growing Fentanyl problem.
Congressman Glen Grothman’s Fentanyl Penalties Parity Act will reduce the amount of the drug an individual can be in possession of before they are charged with a federal crime, and was recently introduced to the House of Representatives.
According to a news release from Grothman, under current law, an offense must involve 400 or more grams of a mixture or substance containing fentanyl to trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence.
Because the lethal dose of fentanyl is about 2 milligrams, the offense would need to contain roughly 200,000 lethal doses in order to trigger the 10-year mandatory minimum.
By comparison, to trigger the 10-year mandatory minimum for heroin, the offense would have to involve at least 1 kilogram, which contains roughly 10,000 lethal doses.
In other words, a criminal that is taken into custody with 350 grams of fentanyl, or 175,00 lethal doses would face a less severe sentence than a criminal caught with 10,000 lethal doses of heroin.
