Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney is backing a package of bills to crack down on the fentanyl overdose epidemic. The bipartisan package would allow police to charge drug dealers with manslaughter.
If passed, police will be able to apply the manslaughter charge if dealers sell fentanyl-laced drugs that result in an overdose death. Other bills in the package would add Xylazine, commonly known as “Tranq,” to the list of controlled substances, and make the families of those who die due to overdose eligible for financial compensation.
New York Assemblyman Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills), Sen. Dean Murray (R-Patchogue), Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-Riverhead) and Steven Rhoads (R-Massapequa) introduced the bills. At a rally with lawmakers and families in Albany, Tierney called the bills “common sense."
"While legislation will never be the sole solution, these common sense changes will save lives," Tierney said.
One bill — called Chelsey’s law — is named after a 31-year-old Suffolk County resident who died of a fentanyl overdose in 2022. She was one of over 400 overdose deaths countywide that year. Her parents attended the rally.
"It's not just about my daughter," said Gene Murray, Chelsey's father. "It's about all the families that have lost their loved ones and get no accountability."
The US.. Drug Enforcement Agency estimates that seven out of every 10 pills sold on the street are laced with fentanyl.
