With only Senate Vice President Jude U. Hofschneider, R-Tinian, absent, the rest of the senators voted to pass Senate Bill 17-85, which according to Chief Prosecutor Michael Ernest is a very important measure in the war against drugs.
Introduced by Sen. Jovita M. Taimanao, Ind.-Rota, S.B. 17-85 seeks to “criminalize the sale of substances which are ‘look-alikes’ to control controlled substances.”
Ernest in his testimony told the senators they have been prosecuting rape, murder and other criminal cases but when it comes to illegal drug cases, “it has been difficult as suspects are getting very smart and have more resources than us.”
Because the CNMI does not have its own laboratory to test “ice,” the process has been very costly. Right now, he said they have to send evidence to Guam for a laboratory test.
Ernest said S.B. 17-85 will make the process less costly. The main focus of the measure, he said, is to charge “ice” dealers.
The bill states that selling items which appear to be controlled substances, whether they may or may not actually be a controlled substance, “is extremely dangerous.”
What is more dangerous, Ernest said, is that there are youngsters who get to use large doses of “look-alike” drugs to get high.
