Illinois House Bill HB4694

Illinois 2023-2024 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/1/24
• Refer: 2/6/24

Caption

CONTROLLED SUB-CARFENTANIL

Impact

The bill imposes severe penalties for the manufacture, delivery, or possession of carfentanil, especially in amounts exceeding 150 milligrams. For any such amounts stored or transmitted without appropriate warning labels and accompanying naloxone –a life-saving drug used to counteract opioid overdoses– offenders could face imprisonment of six to thirty years. Furthermore, an additional five-year sentence would be triggered if fentanyl or its analogs are in specific dangerous forms, thereby heightening the accountability for traffickers of these potent substances.

Summary

House Bill 4694 proposes significant amendments to the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, specifically addressing the risks associated with fentanyl and its more potent analog, carfentanil. The legislation stipulates that if a controlled substance analog is at least five times more potent than its corresponding controlled substance, its weight for legal considerations would be treated as multiplied by the increase in potency. This aims to tackle the growing concerns over substances that pose a high risk of lethality, particularly in the context of the opioid crisis affecting public safety.

Contention

The legislative discussions around HB4694 may generate notable contention regarding the severity of its penalties and definitions. Opponents might argue that such strict penalties could disproportionately impact low-level offenders rather than addressing the broader issue of addiction and the need for treatment options. Others might debate the practicality and efficacy of the proposed warning labels and naloxone provisions, questioning whether they could materially change the substance misuse landscape. Nonetheless, proponents of the bill assert that robust measures are necessary to combat the critical threat posed by these powerful drugs.