DENVER — A new report from the Common Sense Institute shows the financial cost of the fentanyl crisis in Colorado was $13.1 billion last year, or $2,200 per resident.
The cost was determined using data that included lifetime earnings and taxes not paid.
The report shows there were 1,631 overdose deaths from fentanyl in Colorado in 2024, compared to 222 in 2019. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), there were 540 fentanyl-related deaths in 2020, 912 in 2021, 920 in 2022 and 1,097 in 2023.
The report also discusses the Fentanyl Accountability and Prevention Act (House Bill 22-1326), which was signed into law by Governor Jared Polis in May 2022. It elevated possession of one to four grams of any drug containing fentanyl from a misdemeanor to a Level 4 drug felony. Report co-author Mitch Morrissey called the legislation a step in the right direction, but only a first step.
"The bill that they passed made it one gram, and people need to understand that that's enough to kill 500 people," Morrissey said. "Why would you allow someone to have something that could kill 500 and that be a misdemeanor, if you're caught in possession?"
The Common Sense Institute recommends that possession of any amount of fentanyl be made a felony.
State
Law making fentanyl possession a felony had no effect on overdose deaths: Study
The report also found that Customs and Border Patrol seizures of fentanyl are down at the southwestern border. Fiscal year seizures dropped 21% in 2024 and are down 29% halfway through the 2025 fiscal year.
The report does contain encouraging news. In 2023, there were 1.935 fentanyl overdose deaths in Colorado, which is down 304 deaths compared to the year prior. Also, as of December 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Rocky Mountain Field Division seized 2.7 million fentanyl pills, 3.5% more than in all of 2023.
