COLORADO SPRINGS — Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers became one of multiple other prominent political figures across Colorado to voice concerns with the proposed "Fentanyl Accountability And Prevention" Bill in a statement on Monday.
The message cited several portions of the bill Suthers is not content with:
Under the bill, possession of up to four grams of fentanyl, an amount sufficient to kill dozens of people, remains a misdemeanor. Also per the bill, a person who sells less than four grams to someone who dies as a result, is eligible for probation. Finally, a person who sells fentanyl to someone who dies from an overdose can completely avoid prosecution by reporting the incident and cooperating with the investigation.
Suthers told News 5, he believes law makers need to listen more closely to law enforcement and District Attorneys in order to stop the fentanyl crisis in Colorado.
His statement read:
“The Colorado Legislature needs to start listening more to law enforcement and others responsible for public safety, and less to organizations whose objective it is to minimize the consequences for criminal behavior."
The Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition published a joint-brief with the Harm Reduction Agency Center, saying they believe preventative measures, like education, are the best method for decreasing Colorado's fentanyl overdoses.
"Drug use is so personal and individualized that there is no one-size-fits-all, so prevention would be helping to educate people who are novice, or not used to using drugs," said Terri Hurst, Policy Coordinator for the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition.
The coalition has not formally taken a stance on the bill yet.
The committee will hear the bill for the first time on April 12, 2022.
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