'It's basically poison': New bill aims to make carfentanil illegal in Mass.

BOSTON — One of the most dangerous drugs on the street these days is carfentanil.

It’s 5,000 times stronger than heroin, but in Massachusetts, there is no law prohibiting it.

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz says his office is seeing one of the most potent drugs on the street.

“It’s poison, basically,” said Cruz. “The drugs themselves, which came back as carfentanil. We cannot charge that person for that carfentanil."

Right now, there is no state law he can use for charges.

“You could probably, under state law, distribute carfentanil on the steps of Beacon Hill right now at the state house and get away with it,” he said.

After getting wind of the issue, Reps. Tim Whelan (R-Brewster) and Paul Tucker (D-Salem) sponsored a bill that would add carfentanil as an illegal substance.

“The sooner we can use this and give our law enforcement the tools they need to protect us from these dealers and traffickers,” said Whelan.

The DA says the new state law has to be flexible because there will likely be other types of opioids in the future.

“We don't want to be in a position six months or a year from now when the next carfentanil is coming down the road and have to jump through hoops again,” said Cruz.

The district attorney says Governor Baker is also pushing a criminal justice reform bill that would use the federal list of controlled substances.

“The language in the federal statutes are much more amenable to change in the composition of the drugs than what we currently have,” said Cruz.

Rep. Whelan says he's requesting an emergency pre-amble on his bill so carfentanil would be added immediately.

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