Colorado measure aims to halt overdoses with stiffer penalties as 8 states fail to slow deaths
What Proposition 132 Would Change
The measure would also remove some existing ways to receive reduced penalties. Its proposal follows years in which Colorado’s response to fentanyl has included tougher criminal penalties alongside public health measures.
Lessons From The 2022 Law
Colorado’s 2022 Fentanyl Accountability and Prevention Act increased criminal penalties and funded naloxone and fentanyl test strips. Those tools can help reverse overdoses or identify fentanyl in drugs before use, but the law did not fund methadone or buprenorphine treatment.
A research team led by Joshua Barocas, a University of Colorado Anschutz professor of medicine, found arrests increased after the law took effect. The team found no rise in people starting or remaining on buprenorphine, while fewer people began or continued methadone treatment.
Treatment And Harm Reduction
Larimer County is one of fewer than half of Colorado’s county jails with a comprehensive program that includes medication for opioid use disorder. Accidental overdose deaths have fallen there, though no single intervention explains the decline.
Criminal enforcement remains part of the county’s response, Barocas wrote. He pointed to treatment access and harm-reduction services as notable parts of its approach, which can help save lives and support stability.
The Risks Of Focusing On One Drug
Proposition 132 focuses on fentanyl, while available data indicates people often use it with stimulants such as methamphetamine. Both substances can be fatal, and the article describes Colorado’s crisis as involving multiple drugs.
The proposal could expose people who unknowingly possess fentanyl to harsher penalties, Barocas argued. The article also says Colorado has seen overdose deaths rise while other states have experienced declines, and notes that New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado each recorded an increase of at least 10% in drug overdose deaths last year, according to the CDC.
Key points
- Proposition 132 would make any fentanyl possession a felony and require an eight-year minimum sentence for distribution.
- A study of Colorado’s 2022 law found no improvement in buprenorphine treatment and fewer people starting or staying on methadone.
- Larimer County combines criminal enforcement with treatment access and harm-reduction services.
- The proposal targets fentanyl despite evidence that people often use it with stimulants.