Drug penalties to get tougher

Drug dealers whose products cause death will face stricter penalties
because of legislation signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm last Thursday.

Michigan law currently does not consider whether the person died
from taking illegal drugs, but under Public Acts 167 and 168, drug
dealers whose illegal drugs cause death to the buyer will result in a
Class A felony.

A Class A felony can result in a charge of life in prison.

“It will have an immediate impact,” said Heidi Hansen, Granholm’s
spokeswoman. “We need a just punishment for drug dealers.”

The two acts involve Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 narcotics.

Schedule 1 narcotics include heroin, LSD, marijuana, mescaline and
peyote. Schedule 2 narcotics include raw opium, codeine (greater than
1.8 grams), morphine, cocaine/crack cocaine, amphetamine, and
methamphetamine, said Detective Lt. Amado Arceo, a supervisor for the
Bay Area Narcotics Enforcement Team, or BAYANET.

According to a recent survey by the U.S. Department of Justice, 33.7
percent of college students have admitted to marijuana use during the
past year in 2003. The number has risen from 27.9 percent in 1993.

The survey also showed that 5.4 percent of college students also
admitted to doing cocaine during the past year in 2003. However, only 2
percent admitted to using cocaine in 1994.

Hansen said the statistics are one of the main reasons why Granholm
is backing the legislation so strongly. The legislation would make it
clear that Michigan is serious about stopping the selling of narcotics.

Rep. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair Township, and Sen. Jud Gilbert,
R-Algonac, both introduced two separate bills concerning tougher drug
penalties in their respective houses on April 26.

Pavlov introduced the bill to honor an Eastern Michigan University
student who died of a drug overdose. Granholm signed the legislation
exactly four years after the student’s death.

Gilbert sponsored the Senate Bill 423, which is nearly identical to
Pavlov’s.

“The penalties themselves will make people think twice before they
deal drugs in Michigan,” said Scott Starr, Gilbert’s legislative aid.
“The main goal is to fill a void in Michigan state law.”

Marijuana is the most frequently-used illicit drug in 21 of the
major metropolitan areas in the U.S., one of those being Detroit,
according to a survey conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The levels of use and abuse are high among adolescents and young
adults – including college students.

Tony Voisin, director of Student Life, said there have been five
controlled substance violations this year in the residence halls.

The legislation only is applicable to Schedule 1 and Schedule 2
narcotics, leaving out Schedule 3 narcotics, which include anabolic
steroids.