Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill on Wednesday that will make it harder for people in the state to sell or give drugs.
This is how Beth and Gus Walters, who lost their son, were remembering him with the bill that was being considered at the time. Austin, their child, had problems with anxiety, depression, and the shame that came with having a mental disease. In the end, Beth said, this made him buy Xanax off the street to help him calm down.
“This particular Xanax that he bought was laced with fentanyl, and it killed him almost immediately,” she said.
Beth and Gus told 11Alive that they thought they had an address and a Venmo exchange that would help them find the person who sold the pills to Austin.
As a result, the detective told them that the crime would only be considered a misdemeanor. This made the parents think of a way to remember their child.
“I can’t change what the law was when that happened in our case,” she said. “My goal here is to change it for someone else.”
This drive lead to Austin’s Law, which changes the laws about controlled substances and deaths caused by fentanyl. It also creates a new type of crime called felony aggravated involuntary manslaughter, which can be used to punish drug dealers and distributors.
Some supporters had earlier said they were worried and wanted to make sure the bill wouldn’t make people less likely to use Georgia’s Medical Amnesty Law.
In general, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones said that Austin’s Law will save lives by going after people who traffic dangerous drugs and working to stop the fentanyl crisis.
