New laws in Illinois 2024: Dangers of fentanyl a priority

Peoria Journal Star
·1 min read
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Hundreds of new laws in Illinois will take effect in 2024. Here are two new laws focused on fentanyl.

Fentanyl drug class

House Bill 3924 requires high schools to teach students about the dangers of fentanyl in state-required health courses. The coursework would include differentiating legal and illegal uses of the drug, details about “the process of lacing fentanyl in other drugs and why drugs get laced with fentanyl,” as well as information on how to detect fentanyl in drugs and how to save someone from an overdose.

In response to increasing overdoses throughout the state, all K-12 schools in Illinois will be required to supply opioid antagonists in case of an overdose through House Bill 2431.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, opioid overdoses in Illinois increased 33% from 2019 to 2020, with nearly 3,000 opioid overdose fatalities.

Illinois new laws 2024: Videoconferencing while driving and vaping in public spaces become illegal on Jan. 1

Fentanyl test strips

House Bill 3203 allows pharmacists and retailers to sell fentanyl test strips over the counter.

What kind of drug is fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the CDC.

Why do people lace drugs with fentanyl?

Counterfeit opioid pills are often laced with deadly amounts of fentanyl, officials say.
Counterfeit opioid pills are often laced with deadly amounts of fentanyl, officials say.

Fentanyl is often added to other drugs because of its extreme potency, which makes drugs cheaper, more powerful, more addictive, and more dangerous, according to the CDC.

The State Journal-Register and Capitol News Illinois contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Major focus on fentanyl among new laws in Illinois for 2024