(The Center Square) – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley is asking lawmakers to regulate a drug used by veterinarians that is leading to overdoses and death in humans.
Jackley said Monday he is asking for a bill that criminalizes the use and possession of Xylazine. Narcan cannot reverse an overdose since the drug is not an opioid, he said.
“This drug is dangerously being mixed with fentanyl by drug distributors,” Jackley said.
The attorney general said a bill increasing the costs of fentanyl patches some drug offenders choose to wear is important in the fight against the drug. Offenders are paying $50 for the voluntary patches, but the costs are increasing. Jackley is recommending courts charge no more than $70 for the patches.
A third bill on Jackley’s agenda targets the rising use of artificial intelligence in child pornography.
“Artificial Intelligence can do great things, but there is potential for serious harm that we are now experiencing with several investigations in South Dakota,” Jackley said. “That harm is real with ‘deepfakes’ that include the use of real children’s voices and photographs taken from social media to create computer generated child porn.”
The attorney general also wants all sex offenders convicted of sexual contact with a minor when the offender is older than 21 to stay on the registry for at least 10 years. One statute only requires five years on the registry, he said.
“This bill would strengthen the registry to protect the public and remove the confusion about how long a Tier 1 registrant must remain on the sex offender registry,” Jackley said.
The South Dakota Legislature convents on Jan. 8.
