DISTRIBUTION OF FENTANYL AS CAPITAL FELONY

This New Mexico bill proposes making the distribution of fentanyl a capital felony if it results in the death of the person who used it. The law defines the crime as intentionally and unlawfully giving fentanyl or similar substances to someone who then dies from injecting, inhaling, absorbing, or ingesting them. It also removes the defense that the deceased might have knowingly or recklessly taken the drug. Additionally, the bill creates a specific legal definition for "fentanyl-related substances" to include various chemical modifications of fentanyl.