Newsom Signs California Bill Informing Parents of School-Aged Children About Dangers of Fentanyl

Children attend a school assembly at a school in Garden Grove, Calif., on Nov. 15, 2022. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

With the fentanyl crisis devastating communities across the state, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on July 27—that passed the Legislature without a single no vote recorded—to inform parents of school-aged children about the dangers of fentanyl poisoning.

Assembly Bill 889, authored by Assemblyman Joe Patterson, a Republican, instructs school boards to notify parents and guardians about the risks associated with fentanyl and synthetic opioids with annual handouts and permanent information on school websites.

“More people die from fentanyl than firearms in California. The state needs to be focused on this risk, so our kids and young adults stop dying from it,” Mr. Patterson told The Epoch Times by email on July 28. “AB 889 will make sure that 6 million parents and guardians are annually informed about the risks of fentanyl. It will save lives.”

Nearly 6,000 fentanyl overdose deaths occurred in California in 2021, according to the latest statistics available from the state’s public health department, with preliminary data showing an increase in 2022.

Incidents involving youth aged 10 to 19 increased by 625 percent between 2018 and 2020, according to public health data.

Steve Filson (L), whose daughter Jessica Filson died in January 2020 of fentanyl poisoning, and Amy Neville (R), whose son Alexander Neville died in June 2020 at the age of 14 of fentanyl poisoning, march with family and friends to protest outside of Snap, Inc. headquarters, makers of the Snapchat social media application, in Santa Monica, Calif., on June 4, 2021. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Many overdose deaths involve counterfeit prescription medications purchased on social media, with users unknowingly consuming lethal amounts of fentanyl while believing that they’re taking Oxycodone, Xanax, Percocet, Adderall, or other pharmaceutical products, according to law enforcement experts.

“Until recently, it never crossed my mind that a child could lose his or her life by making a single mistake experimenting with counterfeit prescription drugs,” Mr. Patterson argued in support of the bill in the Assembly’s legislative analysis (pdf). “This is why I wrote AB 889, so schools can educate both parents and children on the dangers of using synthetic drugs. I don’t want other parents to have to wait for tragedy to strike for them to become aware of the dangers.”

AB 889 will require school boards to begin notification at the beginning of the school year this fall.

Access to fentanyl has never been easier, according to law enforcement experts, with contaminated street drugs and fake pills flooding cities across the state. The amount seized in California last year was enough to kill nearly the population of the entire planet, based on Drug Enforcement Administration calculations.

Prosecutors and law enforcement officials have repeatedly called for stronger penalties for fentanyl distribution, with laws currently limiting charges for dealers caught with less than one kilogram of the drug to misdemeanor offenses.

Such leaves dealers caught with thousands of lethal pills subject to release within days, according to experts.

The California State Capitol building in Sacramento, Calif., on April 18, 2022. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

While a number of punitive measures related to fentanyl distribution were introduced by lawmakers this year, only one survived: Assembly Bill 701—authored by Assemblyman Carlos Villapudua, a Democrat. The bill would add fentanyl to the list of narcotics including cocaine and heroin, allowing for three-year sentences for possession of one kilogram or more. But it faces challenges on the Senate floor after meeting resistance in the chamber’s Public Safety Committee.

The measure ultimately passed a special hearing—described by lawmakers as unprecedented—of the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee on April 27 following Chair Assemblyman Reginald Jones-Sawyer’s vetoes earlier this year.

Some Democrats have challenged all attempts to increase penalties for fentanyl dealers, with Mr. Jones-Sawyer, a Democrat, repeatedly denying bipartisan measures and comparing the efforts to a renewed “War on Drugs.”

The Senate Public Safety Committee similarly killed Senate Bill 44—authored by state Sen. Tom Umberg, a Democrat, and designed to mirror the Watson Advisement given to those convicted of driving under the influence with a warning that any future fentanyl transactions resulting in death could result in murder charges. The committee rejected the bill on the grounds that it could cause low-level dealers to face life-long consequences.

With the majority of punitive proposals meeting dead ends in the Legislature this year, the Democratic supermajority is still considering bills focused on overdose prevention and rehabilitation, the preferred course of action based on voting records and comments from lawmakers.