Group of mothers heads to Richmond to advocate for stricter penalties on Fentanyl dealers

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - A group of six mothers from around the state including three from Harrisonburg are making the trip to Richmond on Thursday to advocate for stricter penalties on Fentanyl dealers. All of the group members have lost a child or a loved one to a Fentanyl overdose.

“These kids that are dying aren’t necessarily addicts. They don’t even know what they’re getting and the numbers are exploding right now. But we bonded together just because of a common experience,” said Faythe Silveira, a member of the group whose niece died of a Fentanyl overdose in 2021.

The group of mothers will be advocating for state senators to pass House Bill 1455 which would up the penalty for selling someone Fentanyl without their knowledge to attempted murder. In cases of a Fentanyl overdose, it would also allow the dealer to be charged with first-degree murder.

“These kids that are dying don’t know that they’re taking fentanyl. In many of their cases, they think they’re getting a Percocet, or Xanax, or Adderall and it doesn’t feel like justice is served,” said Silveria.

Silveria said with the amount of Fentanyl that is on the streets right now it is important for legislators to take action and for parents to be aware.

“Most of the parents that lose a child to Fentanyl were blindsided and had no idea their child might be getting into something like this because all us parents tell our kids ‘Don’t take drugs’,” she said. “Watch for signs in your children that something is off. In the case of my niece, they knew something was off but had no idea what it actually was.”

Silveria said that one thing parents are frustrated by is that children who overdose on Fentanyl are sometimes treated as addicts when that is not the case.

“A lot of these teenagers are not addicts. They have depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other things that are leading them to look for some solution or some way out. Someone says ‘Hey here’s a Percocet it’ll make you feel better, here’s a Xanax, Adderall,” she said.

The group hopes that it can convince enough Senators to support the bill. Silveria said it is an issue for all parents.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, educated or uneducated, black, white, Hispanic, it’s all walks of life where people are being affected by this. Don’t think that you’re family is immune to hit or your children are immune to it,” she said.

State Senator Mark Obenshain who represents Harrisonburg and parts of Rockingham County will introduce the group on the Senate Floor on Thursday.