Legislation increasing the penalties for dealing the drug Ecstasy was passed in the state House last week and now will be sent to the governor's desk for authorization.

Bill 1431 was developed by state Attorney General Mike Fisher and Sen. Jake Corman, R-Bellefonte, in response to the Ecstasy crimes that occurred in State College last year.

"Hopefully we are telling the public the commonwealth of Pennsylvania takes the issue of Ecstasy very seriously," Corman said. "If you're caught, we're giving the law enforcement the tools to deal with it harshly."

The legislation involves three different levels of penalties for dealing or possessing Ecstasy.

-- For selling more than 50 tablets or 15 grams, the penalty is a maximum of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $15,000.

-- For selling more than 100 tablets or 30 grams, the penalty is a maximum of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $100,000.

-- For selling more than 1000 tablets or 300 grams, the penalty is a maximum of 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

Local authorities said the legislation is particularly important to this area of Pennsylvania.

Sgt. Dana Leonard of the State College Police Department said he supports Bill 1431 after the Ecstasy-related incidents last year.

"We were involved in one of the largest Ecstasy cases in Pennsylvania," he said.

In addition to the discovery of an Ecstasy dealing drug-ring last March, Penn State alumna Stephanie Yau died of an Ecstasy overdose last November.

Leonard said at the time of these crimes, the police realized there were not different sentences for dealing varying amounts of Ecstasy, as there are for other drugs like cocaine and heroin.

Bill 1431 is consistent with the legislation for all other dangerous drugs that have incremented penalties, Leonard said.

However important it may be to emphasize the danger of Ecstasy, District Justice Brad Lunsford said he doubts legislation will have an impact on the level of drug activity.

In order to affect the amount of Ecstasy dealing, the law has to reach both the "supply side and demand side," Lunsford said.

A better way to decrease the dealing of Ecstasy is to educate people about the dangers of the drug, he said.

"You have to make people not want it," Lunsford said.

Corman said he expects Bill 1431 to be signed by the governor and he hopes it will be implemented by the end of the year.