Team Youngkin: Youngkin Continues to Lead Fight Against Fentanyl

Governor Glenn Youngkin has made combating fentanyl trafficking in Virginia a top priority since the day he took office.    "This should not be a Democrats versus Republicans issue," Youngkin told Fox News in January. "The fentanyl crisis affects us all. Holding fentanyl makers and dealers accountable is just common sense."   During his 2024 State of the Commonwealth address, Youngkin called on the General Assembly to take decisive action against fentanyl trafficking to stop this poison from taking the lives of Virginians.    "Virginians suffer when we miss the opportunity to lead. There is no greater reminder of this than the stark fact that, on average, 5 Virginians die from fentanyl poisoning every single day," Youngkin said.    Now, Governor Youngkin continues to lead the fight against fentanyl, signing bipartisan legislation into law this week passed by the General Assembly that addresses the manufacturing of counterfeit pills used to traffic fentanyl.

As the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Youngkin signed legislation that makes it a felony to adulterate medication and to possess the pill-making machines used to make those fakes."   In signing this bipartisan bill into law, Governor Youngkin said Virginia is sending a powerful message that fentanyl trafficking will not be tolerated in the Commonwealth.    "By signing this legislation, we are more resolved, more emboldened, more unified, and more focused than ever before to ensure no more Virginians die as a result of this fentanyl epidemic," Governor Youngkin said. "We are sending a powerful message that Virginia will take critical action against the production and distribution of this horrible poison, and we will not tolerate the devastation wrought by this deadly substance."   IN CASE YOU MISSED IT   RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH: Time for a new line of attack on fentanyl, Youngkin says   Despite efforts like this winter's seizure of 66,000 fentanyl pills in Manassas, no one can say how much of the deadly drug ends up on Virginia's streets.   That is why the state is opening a new line of attack with legislation cracking down on making counterfeit pills, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Thursday.   ...   "This effort is targeted against a drug that few people fully understand — counterfeit pills seem to be at the heart of it, lacing either legal pharmaceuticals or illegal drugs with fentanyl in order to hook a user," Youngkin said.   ABC 13: 'Virginia is fighting back:' Gov. Youngkin signs legislation to combat fentanyl crisis   On Thursday, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed SB 469 to combat the growing fentanyl crisis in the Commonwealth.   "By signing this legislation, we are more resolved, more emboldened, more unified, and more focused than ever before to ensure no more Virginians die as a result of this fentanyl epidemic," Gov. Youngkin said.   WHSV: Youngkin signs Obenshain's bill to crack down on Fentanyl manufacturers   On Thursday, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed a bill into law from Harrisonburg and Rockingham County State Senator Mark Obenshain that aims to crack down on the illegal distribution of fentanyl.   Senate Bill 469 increases the penalty for distributing adulterated or misbranded drugs from a Class 2 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony. It also makes it illegal to possess a pill press or encapsulating machine.   "Fentanyl is being mixed into all types of street drugs, but particularly it's being pressed into fake pills: Percocet, Xanax, and Adderall, with Percocet being by far the most common. This bill will hopefully slow down the pills that are being made in the Commonwealth of Virginia," said Faythe Silveira, a member of the group Fentanyl Moms, whose niece died of a Fentanyl overdose in 2021.   CBS 19: Youngkin signs bill into law targeting fentanyl manufacturers and dealers   On Thursday, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed a bill into law that aims to crack down on the illegal distribution of fentanyl.   This bill will increase the penalty for distributing adulterated or misbranded drugs from a Class 2 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony.   It will also make it illegal to possess a pill press or encapsulating machine. These are often used to press fentanyl into fake pills. According to the Virginia Department of Health, in 2022, there were nearly 2,500 drug overdose deaths among Virginians. It also says almost eight out of 10 drug overdose deaths involve fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, and tramadol.   "It is systematically invading our lives. We must secure our border, we must interdict the access to Virginians of this drug, and we must educate everyone on the penalty that they may face by taking one pill," said Youngkin at the signing.