The fentanyl crisis that is enveloping our country is becoming more and more alarming every day. It is not hyperbole to suggest that it is now the number one criminal and public safety issue in the nation. To fight this, and win, communities across the U.S. need to adopt comprehensive and aggressive policies and approaches that are rooted in reality and experience. State legislatures and city councils must also avoid the temptation to use the crisis as a laboratory for social experimentation.
Colorado offers a tragic case in point. In 2019 the Colorado State Legislature passed a bill that reduced possession of four grams or less of any drug – including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and even fentanyl – to a misdemeanor. This meant that someone could have enough fentanyl on their person to kill a small town (2 milligrams – or about 4 grains of sand worth of fentanyl is a deadly dose), and face only a ticket at worst.
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