OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Four highly abused prescription drugs would be added to the state's drug trafficking laws and allow those convicted of violating those laws to serve up to life in prison without parole under a bill that has advanced in the state Senate.
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 21-0 Wednesday for the bill by Ardmore Republican Sen. Frank Simpson.
The bill would add the drugs morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone and benzodiazepine to the list of drugs for which the trafficking sentences would apply, based on the amount the person was carrying. It was requested by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.
Conviction would result in a minimum sentence of ten years for a first offense and up to life without parole for a third offense.