LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It’s no secret Nevada is dealing with an opioid overdose crisis. According to the Southern Nevada Health District, there have more than 1400 opioid-related overdose deaths in Clark County from January 2018 to July 2022.
From 2019 to 2020, there was a 55% increase in drug overdose deaths in Nevada, according to the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services.
A new law which went into effect October 1 aims to crack down on fentanyl trafficking.
Senate Bill 35 increases penalties for fentanyl. Under the law, possession of 28 grams of the opioid, down from 100 grams, is considered low-level trafficking.
Depending on how much a person possesses the drug, the crime could be punishable by 1-10 years of imprisonment.
But not everyone believes this new law will fix the problem.
Jonathan Sprecher is the director of nursing at Desert Hope Center. He believes there needs to be more resources for people in recovery rather than stiffer penalties.
“The problem in only about 10% of people who need treatment receive treatment for drug abuse,” said Sprecher. “It doesn’t do a whole lot of good to put away that small level dealer because all the person is going to do is find a new dealer.”
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine. A small amount as a little as 2 mg can cause a fatal overdose.
“Just making the laws tougher has never stopped addiction in the past,” said Specter. “We definitely need more resources. Otherwise, we’re just going to be chasing our tail.”
SB35 is one of more than a hundred laws that went into effect on October 1.
The law also requires the director of the department of corrections to provide a prisoner who has a substance use disorder with medication-assisted treatment to the extent money is available.
