With the opioid and fentanyl epidemic at an all-time high in New York, Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R,C-Riverhead) has put this issue at the forefront of her agenda and signed on to four different bills authorizing drastic measures. The four bills are as follows:

• A.8397, cosponsored by Giglio, which will give funding assistance to overdose victims when there is an overdose death resulting from deception, covert delivery or third-party administration of a controlled substance.
• A.8395, cosponsored by Giglio, which will add xylazine to the list of depressants designated as controlled substances.
• A.8384, cosponsored by Giglio, which will enact “Chelsey’s Law”, making it a crime of manslaughter or aggravated manslaughter when a person knows that a controlled substance is likely to cause the death of another person and proceeds to sell such controlled substance to another person.
• A.8383, cosponsored by Giglio, which will authorize the imposition of bail for certain felony offenses involving the manufacture, sale, distribution or possession with intent to sell synthetic opioids.

“It is truly devastating knowing roughly 474 people in Suffolk County alone have died from drug overdoses caused by opioids and fentanyl in 2022. Because of this shocking statistic, I have decided to help fight this real-world problem and sign on to four different bills (A.8397, A.8395, A.8384 and A.8383) that will help combat this epidemic and crack down on drug dealers once and for all. Drug dealers are the root cause of this ongoing fatal epidemic and need to be held accountable for killing our youth. This public health emergency requires our immediate attention and action now!”