Bartolotta bill targets drug dealers
Legislation introduced on Wednesday by state Sen. Camera Bartolotta targets drug dealers who sell to users that suffer “serious bodily injury” from an overdose.
A statement from Bartolotta, R-Carroll Township, said the bill is intended to address the heroin and opioid epidemic ravaging the state and southwest Pennsylvania. The legislation would provide local prosecutors with “a new tool” to use against dealers, the statement said.
Those dealers whose drugs result in serious injuries, such as a permanent disfigurement or the loss or impairment of a body part, would face tougher penalties for delivering or distributing drugs.
“Combatting the drug addiction problem requires lawmakers to address every aspect of the issue, but it is especially important to target those who are directly responsible for preying on those who are vulnerable and fueling this crisis for their own personal gain,” Bartolotta said in the statement.
“Drug dealers who are responsible for the skyrocketing overdose rate need to be held responsible for the damage they cause,” she said, “and my bill will ensure they can be held accountable at the local level.”
Pennsylvania does not have a law addressing serious bodily injury from an overdose so district attorneys frequently refer cases to federal prosecutors who can pursue them under federal law.
Bartolotta said this “places an undue strain” on federal prosecutors and keeps local prosecutors from pursuing cases in their own courts.
Bartolotta said she introduced her legislation after receiving input from local district attorneys who testified at a public hearing held by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania earlier this year in Beaver County.