A war on fentanyl, not a war on people: George Gascón
We all know that fentanyl is killing people at unprecedented rates, but if a recent report issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health doesn’t spur us into massive action, we should be ashamed. According to that report, fentanyl-related fatalities have skyrocketed by a whopping 1,280% in the last five years alone. In 2021, the synthetic opioid killed over 1,500 people, and accounted for over half of all drug overdose deaths in L.A. County. Thousands more have nearly lost their lives, driving up emergency room visits and hospitalizations.
It is time for us to wage war against fentanyl — but we need to do it in a way that actually solves the problem, instead of destroying communities. We’ve been good at the latter in the past, but not the former. I vow to change that.
As we fight to stem the harms of fentanyl, we cannot use tried-and-failed drug policies of our last drug war just because it’s politically expedient. We will only stem the tide of the fentanyl crisis and save lives by using a different, more collaborative approach involving various stakeholders across the county; one that is grounded in comprehensive public health strategies that emphasize education and prevention in addition to targeted enforcement.
Fentanyl is no ordinary drug. It is particularly lethal because of its extreme toxicity; it is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more stronger than morphine. And its deadly reach extends to all sociodemographic and geographic groups: every community has been affected regardless of age, class or race. Fentanyl is driving youth overdose deaths, leaving parents and school administrators questioning how to effectively address drug use in order to prevent more teen deaths.
The amount of fentanyl seizures has more than quadrupled since last year, and yet fresh fentanyl quickly replaces the drugs seized. People keep dying at extraordinary rates, and drug overdoses are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 18 and 45.
The epidemic of fentanyl-related deaths poses one of the gravest challenges of our times, and we must meet that challenge with solutions that are proven to work.
But in our desire to solve this epidemic, we must be mindful of past mistakes. If the failed War on Drugs has taught us one thing, it’s that we cannot incarcerate our way out of a public health issue. Sadly, whether desperate for a solution, or seeking a reason to go back to the tough-on-crime days, many politicians are calling for stricter penalties. Earlier this year, Republican lawmakers introduced a federal bill that would classify fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction, signaling support for extremely harsh prison terms for sale or possession. But our leaders must remember that a continuation of the failed War on Drugs would undo years of progress in the movement for criminal justice reform while simultaneously neglecting to address the underlying causes of drug use. Band-aid approaches to public health issues cannot cover up systemic wounds, and they certainly can’t cure them. Focusing solely on stricter fentanyl laws will not solve our collective problem, but it will make it worse.
Mindful of the critical juncture we’re facing, a cross-section of the county’s education leaders, public health experts, community advocates, and law enforcement professionals are coming together to collaborate and use evidence-based approaches to save lives, prevent fentanyl overdoses and ensure the health and well-being of Angelenos. Our problem-solving approach will address the fentanyl crisis using a public health lens, prioritizing the key pillars of education, prevention and enforcement.
Education is necessary to amplify the dangers associated with drug use and the real and deadly risks of poisoning. Research shows that fear tactics — such as using horror stories, graphic messaging and gruesome images — are ineffective in changing adolescent behavior. Schools and parents must learn how to talk honestly to youth about drugs. The public must be educated about how to prevent and reverse opioid overdoses.
Not all drug use can be prevented, and focusing solely on abstinence has failed. We can provide support and care for people struggling with drug use by implementing harm-reduction strategies, such as administering Naloxone, an opioid receptor that reverses overdoses. Such strategies and tools can save lives, prevent high-risk behaviors and address the causes of addiction with treatment and mental health services.
Also essential to any effective strategy is enforcement, but not the kind that uses harmful policies that contributed to the massive disparities in the criminal legal system. Research shows that criminalizing drug use or harshly prosecutingstreet-level sellers does not reduce drug use, the availability of drugs, or keep drug users safer. That’s why we’ll focus our resources on targeting upstream dealers and manufacturers to combat the dissemination of drugs into our communities.
In fact, just last week my office charged a person who allegedly possessed over $4 million in illegal narcotics and hundreds of thousands of Fentanyl pills. In that case, we also alleged sentencing enhancements. We cannot let mid- and upper-level dealers get away with using children to peddle their products or conduct their drug sales near schools. It is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
If we’re going to make any progress in saving lives, we have to change our approach. We can’t fool ourselves into thinking that we can solve this epidemic using the very methods that not only failed — but also caused extreme harm — in the past. Data doesn’t lie. Drug use is primarily a public health issue, and marginally a criminal justice one, and needs to be treated that way. We must work together as a community to appropriately respond to this deadly crisis and keep our people safe.
George Gascón is the district attorney of Los Angeles County.