California Democrat who fought penalties for fentanyl wants $5 billion for overdoses
Luke Gentile
Video Embed
A California Democrat who fought against a Republican effort for stronger penalties against fentanyl is demanding billions of dollars to battle overdoses.
Assembly Public Safety Committee Chairman Reggie Jones-Sawyer wants at least $5.2 billion to fund a “comprehensive approach, instead of a bill-by-bill approach,” to combat fentanyl overdoses in the state, according to a report.
STUDENTS FOR DESANTIS REACHES 100 CAMPUSES NATIONWIDE
The legislation, Assembly Bill 1510, would include roughly $2 billion for treatment related to substance abuse, $400 million for harm reduction, and $200 million for overdose mitigation efforts.
Approximately $2 billion would be allocated to grow treatment and education programs for California’s youth, and $500 million would be dedicated to targeting “high-level drug traffickers” and holding/housing for offenders.
Finally, $100 million would be used for research on “emerging drugs,” including xylazine.
“We’re poking at the problem,” Jones-Sawyer said. “I want to go ahead and knock it out once and for all.”
At least 7,100 Californians died as a result of opioid overdoses, with 83% of those deaths being attributed to fentanyl, the report noted.
Jones-Sawyer received criticism for his desire for more than $5 billion because he fought against expanding the severity of fentanyl-related crimes.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I think I did a horrible job at translating and getting not only my Republican colleagues to understand, but some of my moderate colleagues to understand, that has to be a comprehensive war on fighting fentanyl,” the state lawmaker said.
“And we have to unite both programs, both ideologies.”