(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Arizona‘s Katie Hobbs vetoed SB 1027, which would’ve protected children from dying from fentanyl, and made changes to existing sentencing provisions for certain narcotic drug offenses.
According to the Gateway Pundit, the bill would’ve established “knowingly manufacturing carfentanil, fentanyl or fentanyl memetic substances under any circumstance that causes physical injury to a minor who is under 15 years of age as a class 2 felony offense punishable as a dangerous crime against children.”
Among the changes to existing sentencing provisions are harsher sentences for those convicted of distributing heroin, carfentanil, fentanyl, or a fentanyl-memetic substance. There are also harsher consequences for those people whose drugs they distributed caused physical injury to a minor.
Both Democrats and Republicans supported and passed the bill through the Senate and House.
The Gateway Pundit reported that “Cartel Katie” vetoed the bill because she claims it undermines the state’s “Good Samaritan Law,” which protects individuals who intervene to save someone experiencing an opioid overdose.
State Senator Anthony Kern, the bill’s sponsor, issued a press release on Tuesday, in which he heavily criticized Hobbs for her decision.
“We have been fighting the opioid epidemic not just in Arizona, but nationwide for decades. The least we can do is try to protect our children and future generations from exposure to a deadly drug often laced into opioids,” he wrote.
“This bill had the support of many Democrats, yet Governor Hobbs continues to show her priorities are out of line. In her veto letter, she claims she didn’t sign the bill out of fear it would undermine the Good Samaritan Law which protects individuals who intervene to save someone experiencing an opioid overdose.”
“Not only is it a misleading stretch to reach this conclusion, Hobbs is more concerned with protecting fentanyl manufacturers and providers than implementing real measures that protect our children and communities from these dangerous drugs,” he added.
“We as legislators have done our job. We created a bill with bipartisan support to tackle a very real and serious issue. Why is Hobbs not doing hers, and instead continuing to play political games?”
However, Rep. Analise Ortiz, D-Ariz., who voted no on this bill, thanked Hobbs for vetoing the bill.
“Thank you, Gov. Hobbs for vetoing SB 1027, a bill that would’ve caused far more harm than good,” she wrote on Twitter.
“The evidence shows us that broad criminalization of addiction is not effective. We must get serious about addressing the fentanyl crisis by investing in drug treatment and prevention.”
