One creates tougher drug possession penalties, while the other reduces them, so the increased penalties cannot take effect until lawmakers address the conflict next year.
In the closing days of the legislative session, lawmakers passed two bills dealing with drug penalties. One is a bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Roger Katz of Augusta that addresses many types of drugs but reduces penalties for first-time possession to a misdemeanor offense.
But lawmakers also approved a bill put forward by Attorney General Janet Mills, a Democrat, that included provisions that stiffen penalties for simple possession of two specific drugs, cocaine and fentanyl powder.
