(WNY News Now) – Buffalo – Erie County’s alarming overdose death toll in 2024 prompts a call for stronger legal actions against drug dealers.
As of 2024, the Erie County Department of Health reports 118 overdose deaths, with 95 attributed to opioids. An additional 98 suspected overdose fatalities await confirmation. This follows last year’s 436 overdose deaths, 366 of which were opioid-related.
In response, Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane, alongside Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney and Erie County Sheriff John C. Garcia, backs bipartisan legislation aimed at enhancing prosecutorial powers against drug dealers fueling the synthetic opioid crisis in New York State.
Earlier this year, DA Ray Tierney advocated for laws enabling manslaughter charges against narcotics sellers linked to fatal overdoses, adding Xylazine to the controlled substances list, and permitting families of overdose victims to apply for crime victim assistance funds.
Chelsey’s Law to Prosecute Dealers in Fatal Overdoses
The proposed “Chelsey’s Law” (Assembly Bill A08384 and Senate Bill S07790), named after Chelsey Murray, a Suffolk County resident who overdosed on fentanyl in 2022, seeks to classify selling drugs resulting in death as manslaughter or aggravated manslaughter. The current law only allows for charges of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance.
Designate Xylazine as a Controlled Substance
Another legislative proposal (Assembly Bill A08395 and Senate Bill S07763) aims to regulate Xylazine, a tranquilizer for large animals, now used illicitly in street drugs like fentanyl and heroin. This would restrict its use to veterinary purposes and mitigate its harmful effects, including severe withdrawal symptoms and death.
Support for Families of Overdose Victims
The third proposal (Assembly Bill A08397 and Senate Bill S07805) seeks to amend the Executive Law to allow families of overdose victims to access crime victim assistance funds. Currently, only homicide victims’ families are eligible for such financial support.
These legislative efforts reflect a growing recognition of the synthetic opioid epidemic’s devastating impact and a commitment to holding drug dealers accountable.
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