Lawmaker Looks to Expand Penalties for Possession of Fentanyl While Armed

One assemblyman see weapons and fentanyl combining to create “a rapid escalation of violence.”

Assemblyman Carlos Villapudua introduces his bill at the Capitol in Sacramento on Feb. 14. Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times

With fentanyl overdose deaths affecting communities across California, legislators are seeking to strengthen legal consequences for being armed while in possession of the deadly drug.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers joined an overdose victim’s family members and law enforcement experts on the West steps of the state Capitol on Feb. 14 to announce the introduction of Assembly Bill 2336, authored by Assemblyman Carlos Villapudua, which would add fentanyl to the list of drugs—including methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine—that carry enhancement penalties for possession with a firearm.