26-04-2025
Fentanyl dealers would get mandatory prison under bills
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A set of bills advanced this week in the state House would set harsher penalties for drug dealers who peddle fentanyl, carfentanil, heroin and their derivatives.
'These bills impose a mandatory minimum (prison term) for drug traffickers,' explained one of the bills' sponsors, Rep. Sarah Lightner, R-Springport, in an interview Friday with Target 8 via Zoom. 'We needed to figure out a way to disrupt the supply chain. They are peddling death in our communities.'
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Lightner acknowledges she's encountered some pushback. Mandatory minimums have faced criticism historically.
'I get that mandatory minimums are something of the past,' said Lightner. '(But) the pendulum has swung, I think, so far to the other side now. I think it's time for us to say, 'We're not going to take it.' It's not just going to be a slap on the wrist.'
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In 2023, the most recent year available, fentanyl overdoses killed 2,168 people in Michigan, according to the state health department.
Under House Bills and , the mandatory minimum sentences would range from five to 30 years depending on the amount sold. On the low end, less than 50 grams would carry a minimum five years in prison up to 20 years. More than 1,000 grams would garner at least 30 years in prison up to life without parole, as well as a mandatory $2 million fine.
Summary: House Bills 4255 and 4256
At a March 19 hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, two mid-Michigan parents who've lost children to fentanyl testified in support of the bills, as did Calhoun County Prosecutor David Gilbert.
'I used to be not a big fan of mandatory minimums just because we were usually getting the low-hanging fruit,' Gilbert testified. 'But things changed right around 2012 when fentanyl and carfentinil hit … (they) are basically the primary movers and killers today in the drug culture.'
But Stephanie Kammeraad of Grand Rapids, whose son, Carlos, in January 2023, told Target 8 she does not support mandatory minimums in every case.
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'I do think every situation is unique. I worry about those who don't know that what they're dealing or selling has fentanyl in it,' said Kammeraad. 'Then, my heart breaks for them because I picture our son, Carlos, potentially being one of those people. … I don't know that locking people away is fixing the problem.'
Kammeraad said Carlos' struggle with addiction could have prompted him to sell drugs in desperation.
'An addict's brain isn't thinking clearly,' Kammeraad said. 'It's only thinking about, 'How do I get the next hit?' That's all they can think about. Their brain chemistry has changed.'
Kammeraad wants to focus resources on treatment, not incarceration. Still, she acknowledges mandatory minimum prison terms could make a positive difference.
'It gets people off the streets, yes, which is good,' Kammeraad said. 'I guess it could save someone's life.'
If a dealer knowingly sells fentanyl or sells solely to enrich themselves, Kammeraad agrees that a mandatory prison sentence is appropriate.
Lightner noted that the bills passed the House, which has a Republican majority, with bipartisan support. She hopes the Democrat-controlled Senate will consider the bills promptly.
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