Attorney General charges drug dealer for overdose death

Attorney General Joe Foster announced in December that his office was going to aggressively pursue holding drug dealers legally responsible for overdoses. The charge is called “death resulting” and it is less serious than a murder charge, however it could still result in life in prison. In concurrence with this new effort, the state has instituted a police training program beginning this summer, which will teach officers to treat overdoses like crime scenes.

Monday, the state indicted a 27 year old Nashua man on death resulting charges. He is accused of selling fentanyl, even while knowing his buyers were overdosing on the substance. Attorney General Joe Foster said on the matter, “If somebody knows what they’re selling is deadly, I don’t see it as a lot different than selling poison to somebody.”

Other supporters of this initiative cite the need for accountability, including New Jersey prosecutor Joe Coronato who instituted a similar penalty in his county and said, “We want people to know that they’re going to be accountable for their actions… even if somebody is a small-town dealer, we’re still going to hold you accountable.”

Opponents argue that this is another failed policy of the war on drugs. Manchester defense attorney Cathy Green argues, “Prosecuting addicts is not the way to deter or solve the opioid epidemic.” She also noted the difference between a high-level drug dealer, and an addict who is selling as part of a drug cycle.

UPDATE: Read our Citizen Voices℠ report and find out where New Hampshire stands on this issue.