Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB604 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	sb0604
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 604
8	8	E1 5lr2602
9	9	SB 1075/24 – JPR CF 5lr2605
10	10	By: Senators Waldstreicher and Ready
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 23, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Criminal Law – Distribution of Heroin or Fentanyl Causing Serious Bodily 2
19	19	Injury or Death 3
20	20	(Victoria, Scottie, Ashleigh, and Yader’s Law) 4
21	21
22	22	FOR the purpose of prohibiting an individual from distributing heroin or fentanyl or a 5
23	23	chemical analogue of heroin or fentanyl, the use of which results in the death or 6
24	24	serious bodily injury of another; and generally relating to the distribution of 7
25	25	controlled dangerous substances. 8
26	26
27	27	BY adding to 9
28	28	Article – Criminal Law 10
29	29	Section 5–602.1 11
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
31	31	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
32	32
33	33	BY adding to 14
34	34	Article – Criminal Procedure 15
35	35	Section 4–201(j) 16
36	36	Annotated Code of Maryland 17
37	37	(2018 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 18
38	38
39	39	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 19
40	40	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 20
41	41
42	42	Article – Criminal Law 21
43	43
44	44	5–602.1. 22
45	45
46	46	(A) IN THIS SECTION, “DISTRIBUTE” DOES NOT INCLUDE THE SHARING OF 23
47	47	HEROIN OR FENTANYL O R A CHEMICAL ANALOGU E OF HEROIN OR FENTA NYL 24 2 SENATE BILL 604
48	48
49	49
50	50	WITHOUT REMUNERATION OR THE EXCHANGE OF G OODS OR SERVICES . 1
51	51
52	52	(B) EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE P ROVIDED IN THIS TITL E, A PERSON MAY NOT 2
53	53	DISTRIBUTE HEROIN OR FEN TANYL OR A CHEMICAL ANALOGUE OF HEROIN O R 3
54	54	FENTANYL WITHOUT THE LAWFUL AUTHORITY TO DO SO, THE USE OF WHICH 4
55	55	RESULTS IN THE DEATH OR SERIOUS BODILY IN JURY OF ANOTHER . 5
56	56
57	57	(C) THIS SECTION APPLIES REGARDLESS OF WHETHE R: 6
58	58
59	59	(1) THE DEATH OR SERIOUS BODILY INJUR Y TO ANOTHER OCCURRE D 7
60	60	AS A RESULT OF USING HEROIN OR FENTANYL O R A CHEMICAL ANALOGU E OF 8
61	61	HEROIN OR FENTANYL B Y ITSELF OR COMBINED WITH ANY COMPOUND , MIXTURE, 9
62	62	DILUENT, OR OTHER SUBSTANCE ; 10
63	63
64	64	(2) THE HEROIN OR FENTAN YL OR THE CHEMICAL A NALOGUE OF 11
65	65	HEROIN OR FENTANYL I S MIXED OR COMBINED WITH ANY COMPOUND , MIXTURE, 12
66	66	DILUENT, OR OTHER SUBSTANCE A FTER THE VIOLATION O F SUBSECTION (A) OF THIS 13
67	67	SECTION OCCURS ; OR 14
68	68
69	69	(3) THE DISTRIBUTION OF HEROIN OR FENTANYL O R THE CHEMICAL 15
70	70	ANALOGUE OF HEROIN O R FENTANYL IS MADE DIRECT LY TO THE PERSON WHO DIES 16
71	71	OR SUFFERS SERIOUS B ODILY INJURY. 17
72	72
73	73	(D) IF POSSESSION OF HERO IN OR FENTANYL OR A CHEMICAL ANALOGUE 18
74	74	OF HEROIN OR FENTANY L IS TRANSFERRED MOR E THAN ONCE PRIOR TO THE 19
75	75	OCCURRENCE OF THE DE ATH OR SERIOUS BODIL Y INJURY, EACH PERSON WHO 20
76	76	DISTRIBUTED OR DELIV ERED THE HEROIN , FENTANYL, OR THE CHEMICAL 21
77	77	ANALOGUE OF HEROIN O R FENTANYL SHALL BE CONSIDERED TO HAVE V IOLATED 22
78	78	THIS SECTION. 23
79	79
80	80	(E) A PERSON WHO VIOLATES THIS SECTION IS GUIL TY OF A FELONY AND , 24
81	81	IN ADDITION TO ANY O THER PENALTY IMPOSED FO R A VIOLATION OF § 5–602 OF 25
82	82	THIS SUBTITLE, ON CONVICTION IS SUB JECT TO IMPRISONMENT NOT EXCEEDING 20 26
83	83	YEARS. 27
84	84
85	85	(F) A SENTENCE IMPOSED UND ER THIS SECTION SHAL L BE CONSECUTIVE 28
86	86	TO AND NOT CONCURREN T WITH ANOTHER SENTE NCE IMPOSED UNDER AN Y OTHER 29
87	87	PROVISION OF LAW . 30
88	88
89	89	(G) A PERSON WHO , IN GOOD FAITH, SEEKS, PROVIDES, OR ASSISTS WITH 31
90	90	THE PROVISION OF MED ICAL ASSISTANCE FOR A PERSON EXPERIENCIN G A MEDICAL 32
91	91	EMERGENCY AFTER USIN G HEROIN OR FENTANYL OR A CHEMICAL ANALOG UE OF 33
92	92	HEROIN OR FENTANYL S HALL BE IMMUNE FROM CRIMIN AL PROSECUTION FOR A 34 SENATE BILL 604 3
93	93
94	94
95	95	VIOLATION OF THIS SE CTION IF THE EVIDENC E FOR THE CRIMINAL P ROSECUTION 1
96	96	WAS OBTAINED SOLELY AS A RESULT OF THE P ERSON SEEKING , PROVIDING, OR 2
97	97	ASSISTING WITH THE P ROVISION OF MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. 3
98	98
99	99	Article – Criminal Procedure 4
100	100
101	101	4–201. 5
102	102
103	103	(J) EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE P ROVIDED IN THIS SECT ION, A PROSECUTION 6
104	104	OF A PERSON FOR A VI OLATION OF § 5–602.1 OF THE CRIMINAL LAW ARTICLE MAY 7
105	105	BE BROUGHT IN : 8
106	106
107	107	(1) THE COUNTY IN WHICH THE VIOLATION OCCURR ED; OR 9
108	108
109	109	(2) THE COUNTY IN WHICH THE DEATH OR SERIOUS BODIL Y INJURY 10
110	110	OCCURRED. 11
111	111
112	112	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 12
113	113	October 1, 2025. 13
114	114