Ohio bill to increase penalties for fentanyl use, possession moves to House

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Senate moved legislation today to increase criminal penalties for the possession and sale of fentanyl, a powerful opioid that’s being added to heroin and leading to increased overdose deaths.

SB 1 passed on a vote of 27-6 and heads to the Ohio House for further consideration. Fentanyl, a large animal tranquilizer, is typically used in anesthesia to treat patients with extreme pain or to manage pain after surgery. The drug is 30-50 times more potent than heroin.

Among other provisions, SB 1 would increase the criminal penalties for the selling, possessing or otherwise providing fentanyl to others, with lower amounts required for higher felony convictions. Addicts caught with the drug also would be eligible for treatment as part of their sentencing.