‘Harm Reduction’: California Democrats Kill Legislation to Crack Down on Fentanyl Dealers

Progressive California lawmakers are facing political pressure to take action against fentanyl dealers as overdose deaths continue to accelerate in the state. However, despite the urgency of the situation, the State Assembly public safety committee has blocked two bills that would have strengthened punishments for dealers who kill or seriously injure someone with fentanyl or are caught with enough of the synthetic drug to kill thousands of people. The panel also loosened a proposed ban on dealers carrying guns before punting the bill along with a measure to increase penalties for fentanyl trafficking on social media.

Extremist Legislators Guarantee More Deaths

Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher expressed his disappointment in a statement after the hearing, saying, “Despite all the talk, the extremist legislators who opposed these bills guaranteed that innocent Californians will continue to die, victims of drug dealers profiting off poisoning our communities. These bills were not criminalizing addiction, returning to the ‘war on drugs,’ or any other lie told by the pro-fentanyl lobbyists. They were reasonable, bipartisan proposals to save lives.”

Democrats Remain Committed to Progressive Push

California Democrats, who dominate the state legislature and government, signaled once again on Thursday that they remain committed to a years-long progressive push to roll back criminal penalties for drug-related crimes. This is despite public pressure to do something about the fentanyl epidemic, which has killed more people in California than in any other state.

Incremental Measures Against Fentanyl Dealers

The Assembly’s public safety committee did advance three relatively incremental measures against fentanyl dealers: one to boost their sentences to match those of cocaine and heroin sellers; another to push law enforcement cooperation against them; and a third to launch a task force to study fentanyl trafficking. However, public safety committee chair Reggie Jones-Sawyer promised a follow-up hearing in May to look at a “holistic” strategy that includes more money for treatment, education, and overdose medication.

Doing Something is Not Enough

Assemblyman Jim Patterson, the only Republican to present a bill to the committee, criticized Democrats’ harm reduction approach as inadequate. “The reality is that we have dealers in Fresno with 2,000 pills, that the worst you can do is a misdemeanor,” he told the panel. “They’re out in two days. If we really cared about the addicts, wouldn’t we also care that their dealers are out on the street, churning more and more?”

Conclusion

While California lawmakers are taking some action against fentanyl dealers, it remains to be seen whether their efforts will be enough to curb the epidemic. With overdose deaths continuing to rise, it is clear that more needs to be done to protect Californians from the deadly effects of this synthetic drug.

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