Gov. Mike Dunleavy is seen in a screenshot of a news conference on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022, in Anchorage. Dunleavy said that if reelected, he will seek to raise the prison sentence for dealing illegal drugs that result in a death. (Screenshot)

Gov. Mike Dunleavy is seen in a screenshot of a news conference on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022, in Anchorage. Dunleavy said that if reelected, he will seek to raise the prison sentence for dealing illegal drugs that result in a death. (Screenshot)

Dunleavy plans longer prison terms for drug dealers linked to overdose deaths

The proposal would still have to pass muster with the Alaska Legislature

Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Monday that if reelected, he intends to propose legislation increasing the prison sentence for drug dealers who sell products that kill someone. The as-yet-unreleased legislation would also make convicted dealers ineligible for a particular type of parole and would create a vehicular homicide statute.

The proposal would still have to pass muster with the Alaska Legislature, and its prospects were impossible to determine Monday, one month before a general election that will significantly change the Legislature’s roster.

The governor’s proposal was announced at a conference with reporters and comes after Alaska had the largest increase in overdose deaths among U.S. states between 2020 and 2021.

It also arrives during the governor’s re-election campaign, with Dunleavy attempting to fend off challenges from Republican, independent and Democratic candidates.

Asked why the proposal is coming up now, instead of earlier in his term, Dunleavy said, “You continually address issues as they arise.”

The governor said state law enforcement officials intend to keep working with federal law enforcement to reduce the supply of drugs entering Alaska and said that education campaigns are key to reducing demand for illegal drugs.

Dunleavy made criminal justice issues a priority of his 2018 campaign for governor, and some pro-Dunleavy campaign ads have focused on a notable decrease in violent crime from 2019 through 2021. National comparisons are difficult because of incomplete reporting by some police departments, but Alaska’s violent-crime rate remains one of the highest among American states.

Legislative candidates in some districts say that as they go door to door, they’ve heard from voters who say crime is a top issue on their minds.

In August, two of Dunleavy’s three challengers answered an Anchorage Daily News questionnaire asking about the issue of drug addiction and overdoses.

Democratic governor candidate Les Gara has said he supports oil tax changes in part to fund additional police, troopers, prosecutors and drug-treatment programs for mid-and-low-level prisoners.

Independent candidate Bill Walker said that if elected, his administration would “fully fund public safety divisions that will address the crisis of opioid deaths.”

Republican candidate Charlie Pierce did not answer the questionnaire.

“We’re going to continue to address crime,” Dunleavy said on Monday. “We’re going to continue to address domestic assault, sexual violence, thefts, murders, drug dealing, because those are issues that anyone and everyone should be confronting and dealing with.”

• James Brooks is a longtime Alaska reporter, having previously worked at the Anchorage Daily News, Juneau Empire, Kodiak Mirror and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. This article originally appeared online at alaskabeacon.com. Alaska Beacon, an affiliate of States Newsroom, is an independent, nonpartisan news organization focused on connecting Alaskans to their state government.

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Nov. 3

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

Tesla Cox (left) explains the damage done to her home and possessions by record flooding Aug. 6 to a delegation of municipal, tribal and federal officials on Aug. 11. The City and Borough of Juneau is considering a memorandum of agreement with the Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska for public safety issues such as emergency response, plus a similar agreement involving solid waste operations. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
City leaders, Tlingit and Haida considering operational pacts for public safety, solid waste

Assembly members Monday will also discuss flood barriers, short-term rentals, homeless.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

The Tongass National Forest near Sitka on Oct. 10, 2024. The remains of a hunter who the authorities believe was fatally mauled by a bear were recovered on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, from a remote region in Alaska where such attacks are rare. (Christopher Miller/The New York Times)
Deer hunter is killed in apparent bear attack near Sitka, authorities say

The remains of a hunter who authorities believe was fatally mauled by… Continue reading

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Monday, Oct. 28, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

People arrive at a Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster recovery center set up in a meeting room at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library on Wednesday. The center is to provide assistance to people affected by record flooding from Suicide Basin in August. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
30 Juneau households already OK’d for $605K in flood aid, FEMA official says as disaster center opens

About half of the funds actually paid out during first two weeks after federal disaster declaration.

City harbor staff inspect a sunken vessel in Harris Harbor on July 11. An increase in fees for uninsured vessels is being proposed in part to pay the cost of salvaging and removing an increasing number of such vessels without insurance. (Juneau Harbors photo)
Higher payments for waterfront vendor permits, docking uninsured vessels get initial OK

Docks and Harbors Board also recommends changes involving delinquent payments.

Most Read