LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — State leaders gathered at the Capitol in Little Rock on Friday to push for harsher penalties for drug dealers.
Joined by members of the General Assembly and Attorney General Tim Griffin, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders offered her support for Senate Bill 283.
"To discuss one of the most pressing issues facing our state, which is drug addiction," Sanders said. "Arkansas will charge drug dealers with murder if they deliver drugs that cause an overdose. For the most heinous drug dealers, those who traffic fentanyl to children, we will charge them with life in prison."
That bill, also known as the Fentanyl Enforcement and Accountability Act of 2023, offers steep penalties. Sanders said she'll sign the bill when it makes its way to her desk.
However, there are some people who are criticizing the bill, saying it doesn't solve much outside of prosection.
"That's being driven by the widespread availability of synthetic opioids on the streets, and it's killing people," Executive Director of the Wolfe Street Foundation Justin Buck said. "It's killing Arkansans."
Buck said there needs to be more focus on rehabilitation as well.
"We can't just stop the problem at the street," Buck said. "We have to also support recovery efforts for people who have suffered an overdose and survived."
He agrees that the bill is a good start, but should also include what qualifies/
"It's possible that a good move on this bill might be to expand the definition of those drugs or the list of those drugs that they're looking at," Buck said. "And just say anyone who deals any drug that causes an overdose death might be subject to this kind of sentence."
While fear is a powerful motivator, Buck said they've got to look at the situation as a whole.
"If we can pair this kind of legislation to make a change in the justice system, with more support in the community, I think we're going to see a great change in our community," Buck said. "We're going to see those overdose deaths start coming down."
The bill was filed late Friday, with no next steps announced as of Friday evening. We will have the latest as this bill progresses.