Committee Supports Bill Making Heroin Possession a Felony

Maine Public | By AP

Published March 1, 2016 at 1:34 PM EST

AUGUSTA, Maine - A bill that would let prosecutors seek felony charges in possession cases involving heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl and more than 14 grams of cocaine is gaining support.

The Portland Press Herald reports that members of the Maine Legislature's Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted 8-4 Monday in Augusta in favor of the bill.

The bill would also downgrade possession of small amounts of oxycodone pills to a misdemeanor.

A bill passed last year made possession of small amounts of heroin and other narcotics a misdemeanor for first-time offenders. Lawmakers have been debating how to resolve a conflict in state law after a second bill kept the felony penalties for the drugs and added fentanyl to the list.

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