New bill could charge Colorado drug dealers in overdose deaths

DENVER (KDVR) — As fentanyl deaths are on the rise, a bill is being heard in the legislature Monday that would hold drug dealers accountable if someone dies of an overdose using their product.

Bill SB23-109 is called the Criminal Penalty Controlled Substance Supplier bill, and it would enact a penalty on the supplier when a person dies as a result of the use of a controlled substance.

Drug dealers could be charged with a level one drug felony.

This comes as children under 14 are dying of fentanyl poisoning at a rate faster than any other age group, according to a new report from Families Against Fentanyl. They are a nonprofit spreading awareness about the deadly opioid.

In just two years,…