A new state law in Illinois will now require coroners to notify law enforcement and the Department of Public Health when suspiciously high levels of fentanyl are detected during autopsies. House Bill 4942 mandates that the Illinois Department of Public Health establish rules detailing specific information that must be included in a coroner or medical examiner’s report.
Key details to be reported include whether fentanyl was part or all of the consumed substance when the cause of death is determined to be a drug overdose. Additionally, the report must specify what other substances were involved, the proportions of fentanyl to these substances, and any suspicious levels of fentanyl when combined with other controlled substances.
This critical information must be communicated to all relevant law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction over the case in a “prompt manner,” as stipulated by Illinois law.
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