CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The House of Delegates is the next stop for Lauren’s Law which would increase penalties in cases involving dangerous illegal drugs.
Lauren Cole was a 26-year-old WVU graduate seeking a master’s degree in social work when she died in July of 2020 after unknowingly ingesting a fatal dose of fentanyl.
The Cole family worked with sponsor Brian Helton, R-Fayette, and Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, to get SB 584 through the Senate this past week.
Lauren’s father, Michael Cole, said after the death of his daughter, he didn’t want her to be just a statistic. A review of the number of families that have been impacted by fentanyl motivated him to start a few projects, one of them this legislation.
“It’s the worst epidemic that’s ever hit the United States, but for West Virginia as well,” Cole said on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.” “And West Virginia has led the nation in the number of overdose and poisoning deaths per capita for the last 14 years, and it’s time we change that.”
Instead of the 15-year sentence for those who supplied the drugs that led to Lauren’s death, they could receive up to 40 years under the legislation. Additionally, those found guilty of transporting more than five grams of the drug into the state could face a 30-year prison sentence. .
“It’s going to make our streets safer, in my opinion, and it’s going to deter people from coming here to set up shop and sell their drugs here,” Cole said. “We just have to show them and let them know they’re not going to do it anymore.”
Oliverio said the bill is supported by Gov. Patrick Morrisey and that will likely help it win approval in the House of Delegates.
“The number one killer for 18- to 40-year-olds in the country is fentanyl and drug use,” Oliverio said. “Anything we can do to draw attention to this and then attempt to solve the problem is what we want to be doing.”
Another problem Cole identified after Lauren’s death was a gap in treatment between the emergency room and the treatment facility. Now, Lauren’s Wish at Hazel’s House of Hope in Morgantown provides a treatment recovery center for those seeking treatment. The 24
“We don’t currently charge for any of our services; everything we offer and do is for free,” Cole said. “We are absolutely blessed that the community has learned about us, did their homework, embraced what we’re doing, and recognized what we’re doing.”