(Center Square) – Arizona Rep. Quang Nguyen is sponsoring a bill that would take tough action against fentanyl trafficking and drug trafficking crimes, especially those involving death from overdose.

House Bill 2167 Makes drug trafficking murder a class 1 felony with a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of 25 years. If the person has previously committed drug trafficking murder or has been convicted of a class 2 or 3 violent felony, up to 29 years in prison can be imposed.

“The safety of the people of our state is my top priority,” Nguyen, chairman of the State House Judiciary Committee, said in a news release.

“Fentanyl kills tens of thousands of Americans and destroys families every year. It’s a public crisis that should unite political parties to act urgently. We’re making wars to save lives.” he continued.

The bill classified a death as a drug trafficking homicide if the sale of drugs was part of the victim’s cause of death.

According to the Arizona Department of Health, more than 2,000 Arizonas will die from opioid overdoses as of 2021, with fentanyl being the leading cause. reportAccording to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, 67% of “drug overdoses” and “drug addictions” in the United States were caused by opioids such as fentanyl. data From January 2021 to January 2022.

Nguyen’s law is also known as the Ashley Dunn law, in honor of a Yavapai County woman who died of “fentanyl-tainted drugs,” according to a news release.