Will County Gazette

State Sen. Sue Rezin recently spoke to the Illinois General Assembly regarding  Senate Bill 4221, which she chief co-sponsored.

The bill amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act and makes changes so that a person who knowingly and unlawfully sells or dispenses any scheduled drug containing a detectable amount of fentanyl is guilty of a Class X felony and shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than nine years and not more than 40 years or fined not more than $250,000.

"It's a growing problem in our state and it cannot be ignored," Rezin said. "In 2013, Illinois saw 87 overdoses from synthetic opioids. This is the year before fentanyl started to really hit the illegal market. In 2021, according to the Department of Public Health, Illinois saw 2,672 overdose deaths from synthetic opioids which are mainly attributed to fentanyl. This is nearly a 3,000% increase in overdose deaths from 2013 to 2021. Let me repeat that — in less than a decade the state of Illinois saw nearly a 3,000% increase in opioid overdose deaths. Last year, the overdose deaths were more than homicide and suicide combined. There were more overdose deaths. As lawmakers, we cannot turn a blind eye to the staggering trend. We need to confront it now. We need to hold those who are selling the drug accountable. We need to make it clear that if you conduct this kind of criminal activity in Illinois, there will be consequences."

Rezin went on to share statistics on the drug and compare it to other deadly substances. 

"According to the CDC, fentanyl is 50 times deadlier than heroin and 100 times deadlier than morphine," Rezin said. "It only takes 2 mg of fentanyl to be a lethal amount. Let me put this into perspective, that's roughly the same weight of a standard penny. That’s enough to kill a person. In 2021, analysis found that over 40% of the pills they tested for fentanyl contained at least 2 mg of fentanyl – enough to kill a person. That's why our legislation is so incredibly important. We need stronger and more specific laws and penalties for people poisoning unsuspecting victims with their fake pills. People are losing their loved ones each and every day. We not only have the opportunity to hold those people accountable and responsible with this bill, we have a real chance to make an impact and prevent avoidable deaths in the future."

The bill had its first reading on Nov. 14 before the state Senate and was referred to the Senate Assignments Committee.