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The Fentanyl Crisis: What We Know and How We Can Stop It

Writer's picture: Gunn ChariotGunn Chariot

Updated: Jan 14

Written by Owen Cheng and Marie Frank

Graphics by Jesse Li
Graphics by Jesse Li

In 2020, Los Altos High School student Linus Blom held a promising future in wrestling, with aspirations to compete in the national wrestling team for Finland, his home country. Just a few days before his birthday, he overdosed on fentanyl pills and lost his life.

Blom was just one of 90 people in Santa Clara County who died from fentanyl overdose in 2020. In the last four years, fentanyl overdose cases have increased by 57% since 2020 according to the Drug Enforcement Association. As the data reveals a drastic increase in fentanyl-related deaths, one question stands: What changes are needed in current methods to prevent fentanyl abuse?

Since 2021, California has spent more than a billion dollars penalizing fentanyl abuse to prevent people from being introduced to opioids, potentially curbing overdoses and deaths. According to the Health and Safety Code Section 11350 passed in 2014, owning any amount of fentanyl in California is strictly illegal. Policies state that the possession of fentanyl below 99 grams is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5 million fine for the first offense. Policies for further offenses and larger quantities increase the penalty. Yet, despite the state government’s efforts to control the crisis, the situation remains dire, with 11,025 overdose cases in the past year alone—triple of what they were a decade ago.

The criminalization of fentanyl users does not address a key issue for many consumers: addiction. A recent study from the Boston Medical Center showed that individuals released from prison were 27 times more likely to overdose within their first two weeks out of jail. A 2023 research paper in the International Journal for Drug Policy simulated the effects of lowering the amount of fentanyl in pressing felony charges. They discovered that lowering the threshold from 4 to 1 grams resulted in a 19% increase in overdose deaths. Another study by the Drug Policy Alliance found that as certain opioids become more difficult to obtain, the use of more dangerous opioids significantly increases. One example takes place in 2015 when the introduction of stricter policies preventing heroin use led to fentanyl becoming a more accessible substitute. As heroin overdose rates declined, fentanyl overdose rates rose by over 72%. fentanyl overdose rates have continued to increase since, resulting in 108,000 cases of overdose nationwide in 2022.

Another issue with current fentanyl-related policies lies with American prison systems. Data from the Legislative Analyst’s Office, a nonpartisan fiscal policy advisor, reveals that California spends an immense $106,131 to incarcerate one inmate for a single year. An additional report by the National Library of Medicine found that former inmates incarcerated for opioid possession have a 60% chance of reoffending. In comparison, the recidivism rates in the Netherlands and Switzerland, which have more lenient imprisonment policies, are 47% and 41.4% respectively.

A less expensive and more effective solution for the fentanyl crisis is methadone treatment. Methadone lessens the withdrawal symptoms that come with opioid addiction, easing the process of quitting. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, methadone treatment totals around $6,552 a year, far less than incarceration costs.

An example of successful alternative rehabilitation methods other than prison time and incarceration can be found in Portugal. In the 1990s, Portugal had one of the highest

substance abuse rates in Europe. In 2001, Portugal removed laws making fentanyl usage a criminal offense, choosing to provide users with opioid abuse treatment and access to health care services. These treatment programs were so successful that in 2018, the number of drug-related deaths dropped from 100,000 to 25,000. Now, Portugal has one of the lowest reported amounts of drug overdose deaths in Europe.

Although different methods of rehabilitation would be ideal, they are not always realistic. California has been taking small steps to resolve the crisis differently, with mixed results. In 2023, the California government passed legislation that added years of prison time to those who sell or deal drugs. After the law was implemented, opioid overdose deaths fell by approximately 10%. Another legislation was passed in September 2024, providing more accessible methadone treatment. However, bills intended to help resolve the crisis are often rejected. After vetoing the bill providing funding for safe injection sites, Governor Gavin Newsom stated, “I am acutely concerned… [that] the operations of safe injection sites without strong, engaged local leadership and well-documented, vetted, and thoughtful operational and sustainability plans…could induce a world of unintended consequences.”

Although deaths by opioids have dropped by 14.5% in the continental United States since January of 2023, overdose rates are still far higher than pre-pandemic levels. Although it is easy to view the fentanyl crisis from a statistical perspective, it is important to remember the effect that it has within communities, such as in the case of Linus Blom. By taking steps towards legislative reform, we can help prevent such tragedies, averting irreversibly disastrous effects on families and communities.

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