It's the leading killer of people 18-45. It kills instantly. Fentanyl should be a major crime deterred by felony charges.

By making it a minor crime with a careless new law in 2019, Colorado became the red-carpet state for fentanyl dealers. The law reduced to a misdemeanor the possession of 4 grams or less. That's more than enough to deal. It's enough to kill more than 2,000 people.

As shown by the scientific research of Golden-based economist Tim Reichert, Colorado's lenient drug law has caused — yes, caused — the deaths of nearly 700. The law correlates with a 529% increase in fentanyl deaths. (See the Perspective Section on Sunday for a detailed report.)

Despite the carnage, seven Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee and Republican Mike Lynch think possessing highly lethal amounts should remain a misdemeanor. They propose protecting Colorado's status as the country's least threatening state for possessing the world's most deadly drug. We're so cool.

The committee passed a version of House Bill 1326 on Wednesday that allows 1 gram of fentanyl without the potential of a felony charge. Each gram equals more than enough to deal — more than enough to cause 500-plus overdose deaths. Clearly, these politicians consider lives expendable.

House Speaker Alec Garnett, D-Boulder, proposed the 1-gram tolerance as an alternative to zero tolerance. Some proponents suggest reviewing the results in two years. During this experiment, we could lose another 1,900 victims at the monthly death rate of 80. That's if we're lucky and the rate stops rising.

"Making the possession of any amount of pure fentanyl a felony ... is a necessary change to our criminal code," said Colorado's Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser, the self-proclaimed "people's lawyer," testifying before the committee. They didn't listen.

Garnett and most other 1-gram proponents would felonize "assault rifles" to save lives. Intelligent minds can debate the merits, but FBI data show the country's 76 million rifles combined kill fewer than 500 each year nationwide. Yet, these lawmakers would let one individual possess enough white powder to outkill the country's rifles in a year.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report fentanyl and similar synthetic opioids kill more than 60,000 Americans each year. By contrast, all guns combined kill about 45,000. Car crashes kill about 38,000. Unlike cars and guns, illicit fentanyl serves no purpose other than killing. Yet, we essentially allow enormous amounts. If the bill passes as written, we'll allow enough for one to kill hundreds instead of thousands. For those grieving loved ones, one overdose is one too many.

This is not just another substance to hit the evolving hipster drug scene.

"My boys did not overdose on a drug. They were poisoned," said Black Forest, Colorado, resident Michelle (Shelly) O'Dell-Riviere, in a conversation with a Gazette editorial board member Thursday.

Her sons — 19-year-old Stephen and 21-year-old Andrew — died on a bed in an apartment they shared after each took one pill. One of the young men obtained the pills at a party, thinking it was Oxycontin.

"Your whole world stops," the mother said, declining to discuss House Bill 1326. "You try to move on and live your life. Everyone else is living their lives and your world has stopped."

Her plight is so common that grieving parents and others in her community have become a de facto support group to cope with their losses. Soon, everyone will know fentanyl victims.

Any compromise on fentanyl possession comes at the cost of human lives. If Garnett and Gov. Jared Polis create a law enabling one person to poison 500-plus, they will own the deaths and the grief surrounding them.

Instead, they should send the drug trade a powerful message. Make any possession of fentanyl a felony, reducing charges for users who complete rehab. Tell the world we're done sacrificing loved ones to enrich dealers who surely laugh at our stupidity.

REPRINTED FROM THE COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE

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