To amend sections 2925.03, 2929.14, and 3705.08 and to enact section 2941.1427 of the Revised Code to establish penalties for trafficking in pressed pill fentanyl, to require a death certificate to indicate if a death is caused by fentanyl poisoning, and to name this act Logan's Law.
HB305, known as Logan’s Law, would amend Ohio’s drug trafficking and sentencing laws to create a specific offense for trafficking in “pressed pill fentanyl.” Under the bill, trafficking in pressed pill fentanyl would generally be a third-degree felony, with higher penalties when the offense occurs near a school, juvenile, substance addiction services provider, or recovering addict, and with escalating mandatory prison terms based on quantity. The bill also adds a new sentencing specification tied to fentanyl-related deaths, requiring a mandatory five-year prison term for aggravated vehicular homicide when the indictment alleges that the victim had a lethal amount of fentanyl or a fentanyl-related compound in the body and the autopsy is consistent with opioid overdose.
The bill would also change Ohio vital records law by requiring death certificates to include a space to indicate whether a death was caused by fentanyl poisoning, and to use that term when toxicology shows a lethal amount of fentanyl or a fentanyl-related compound and the death is not classified as suspicious or violent. In addition, it makes conforming changes to Ohio’s felony sentencing statute so the new fentanyl-related offense and specification fit within existing prison-term and mandatory-sentence frameworks.
HB305’s impact would be to increase criminal penalties for fentanyl distribution in pressed-pill form, create a new homicide-related sentencing enhancement, and expand death-certificate reporting of fentanyl-related fatalities. It would affect drug traffickers, prosecutors, courts, coroners/medical certifiers, and the Ohio Department of Health, while also influencing how overdose deaths are documented and how fentanyl-related cases are charged and sentenced.
Because the bill was only introduced and had no recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, there is no documented floor or committee sentiment to measure. Based on the bill’s structure and title, the measure appears to be framed as a public-safety and anti-overdose response, with an emphasis on stronger punishment and improved tracking of fentanyl deaths.
The main points of contention likely center on whether harsher criminal penalties and mandatory prison terms are the best response to the fentanyl crisis, and whether the death-certificate requirement could create administrative or medical-certification burdens. Another possible issue is the bill’s evidentiary threshold for the new homicide specification, which depends on toxicology and autopsy findings and could raise questions about charging standards and causation in overdose-related deaths.
HB305 would amend Ohio Revised Code sections 2925.03, 2929.14, and 3705.08 and enact new section 2941.1427. It would create a distinct trafficking offense for pressed pill fentanyl, add a new mandatory prison-term specification for certain aggravated vehicular homicide cases involving lethal fentanyl levels, and require death certificates to identify fentanyl poisoning in qualifying cases. The bill would affect criminal defendants, prosecutors, courts, and vital records officials, while also directing how overdose deaths are recorded in state death certificates.
No committee transcript or vote record was provided, so there is no direct evidence of support or opposition from hearings or roll calls. The bill’s introduction and naming as Logan’s Law suggest a strong anti-fentanyl, public-safety-oriented purpose, with the apparent intent of responding to overdose deaths and fentanyl trafficking through tougher penalties and improved reporting.
The likely areas of contention are the bill’s mandatory sentencing approach, especially the creation of a specific pressed-pill fentanyl trafficking offense and the new five-year mandatory term tied to fentanyl-related vehicular homicide. Critics may question whether enhanced punishment will reduce overdose deaths or instead increase incarceration without addressing addiction. The death-certificate requirement may also draw scrutiny over implementation, medical certification practices, and whether fentanyl should be singled out differently from other overdose causes.