A bill imposing stricter sentences for fentanyl trafficking went to Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday.
House Bill 1, sponsored by Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, passed the Senate unanimously and with no debate Thursday.
"This bill deals with fentanyl," said Sen. April Weaver, R-Alabaster, who spoke for the bill in the chamber. "We all know that fentanyl is hurting all of our communities."
State law provides fines for possession of any amount of fentanyl and imprisonment for possession of 4 grams or more. Simpson's bill adds imprisonment and fines for possession of as little as 1 gram of the drug and increases existing penalties.
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"I can't tell you how many places I've walked into and people have walked up to me and said thank you for doing this because it was affecting my family," Simpson said after the bill passed.
Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, said he would be supportive of more fentanyl bills coming to the floor of the house.
"I think it's important that we continue to let them know this is not going to work in Alabama anymore," Ledbetter said.
(READ MORE: With overdoses up, states look at harsher fentanyl penalties)
Fentanyl is an opioid that, in clinical settings, is used in pain management. But it has become a major part of the opioid epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was the most common opioid in overdose-related deaths in 2021.
"In regards to fentanyl and how terrible and awful the outcomes have been as a result, that's why we passed the bill in no time," Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed, R-Jasper, told reporters after adjournment. "I mean, we're committed to this issue."
Reed said lawmakers are not tolerating people possessing fentanyl in the state of Alabama.
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The House unanimously approved the bill March 23.
Ivey said in a statement Thursday that she would sign the legislation.
"Combatting this deadly drug will continue to be a top priority for our Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and I will do everything in my power to stop this drug from being a killer in Alabama," the statement said.
Read more at AlabamaReflector.com.