Metro East Sun

Kevin Schmidt, a candidate for the Illinois 114th District State House of Representatives, maintains that a bill that would ease penalties for some of the most dangerous drugs is a step in the wrong direction to curb the growing opioid crisis in the state.  

Schmidt, who is seeking the 114th House seat currently held by State Rep. LaToya Greenwood, a Democrat, opposes House Bill 3447, which according to Prairie State Wire, was introduced by State Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, D-Downers Grove, and State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville, passed the House, but failed in the Senate. The proposal, according to the report, would have only placed fines on anyone possessing up to 15 grams of cocaine, 200 grams of methamphetamine, 10 grams of PCP or 10 grams of ketamine. However, the report noted that penalties would increase for possession of more than 200 grams of fentanyl, which the Prairie State Wire noted would be enough to kill 100,000 people. 

“I am opposed to decriminalizing hard drugs,” Schmidt said in an interview. “What we are witnessing with so many people dying from fentanyl is tragic. I don’t see how making these drugs legal is going to lead to fewer tragic deaths.”

The opioid epidemic remains a problem, and in August the McHenry County Department of Health warned on the county website that overdoses, both fatal and nonfatal, were on the rise and opioid-related deaths were up by 250%, adding fuel to the debate that tougher laws are needed to stop the spread of drugs in the state. 

“We need to target the people distributing these drugs on the streets and ensure they are put away for a long time,” Schmidt pointed out in the interview. “Not only are these dealers getting these dangerous drugs into schools and onto the streets, but they are also lacing over-the-counter prescriptions and kids are dying not knowing they are even taking fentanyl. We need to go after the people putting these drugs on the street.”

Indeed, drug overdose deaths have been on the rise in the state, according to Illinois.gov, which noted in 2020 2,944 people died from opioid overdoses, up 33% from the previous year. The website also noted that of all of the overdosed deaths in 2020, 83% were the result of synthetic opioids, and deaths from the overdose of those drugs were up more than 2,700% from 2013 to 2020.

“These drugs are everywhere,” Schmidt said. “I know people who have had to deal with the tragic death of a loved one due to these hard-core and dangerous drugs.” 

According to a post on the DEA website, fentanyl can be fairly cheap to make and is highly potent, which is a lure for many traffickers to mix it in with other drugs, which can prove deadly. The DEA noted on the website that it has found the drug mixed in with many other types of drugs and counterfeit prescription bills. The DEA also noted the synthetic version can be made in China, purchased by Mexican drug cartels and mixed with other drugs that are then sold in the United States. As a result, Schmidt said he would seek tougher laws against the drug.

“We need to target the people distributing these drugs on the streets and ensure they are put away for a long time,” he concluded in the interview. “Not only are these dealers getting these dangerous drugs into schools and onto the streets, but they are also lacing over-the-counter prescriptions and kids are dying not knowing they are even taking fentanyl. We need to go after the people putting these drugs on the street.”