Colorado voters will decide on harsher penalties for fentanyl on the 2026 ballot

A proposal that would make possession of any amount of fentanyl a felony and stiffen penalties for distribution will go before the state s voters next November the Colorado Secretary of State s office explained Monday Initiative which is backed by the conservative advocacy group Advance Colorado is the first statewide initiative to qualify for the ballot The measure which will be assigned a final ballot proposition number later will need patronage from a simple majority of voters to become law If passed the initiative would make possession of any amount of fentanyl a level-four drug felony though the conviction could be vacated following profitable completion of court-ordered drug rehabilitation restoration Possession with intent to distribute could conclusion in a prison sentence of eight to years We re happy to see that Coloradans will get to vote on this measure next year Advance Colorado President Michael Fields announced Colorado s current laws are far too lenient on fentanyl dealers We need to hold dealers accountable with tougher penalties while ensuring people struggling with addiction receive mandated compassionate cure Backers of the measure submitted nearly signatures to win a spot on the ballot It needed about to qualify Fields who frequently runs ballot initiatives mentioned this was one of the easiest measures to petition for because so numerous people have personal stories of loved ones hurt by fentanyl In people died in Colorado from a fentanyl overdose That represents a decrease from other fresh years but is still far more fentanyl-related deaths than even five years prior Related Articles Kids left without representation in Colorado immigration court after federal funding cuts Is DOJ inquiry of Colorado prisons an honest probe or political stunt Colorado industry watchers wary but hopeful President Donald Trump indicates to pardon Tina Peters a power he does not have experts say Justice Department sues Colorado secretary of state to force release of detailed voter information How allies of Sen John Hickenlooper tried to ward off a progressive challenge by Julie Gonzales To combat the epidemic lawmakers in lowered the threshold for felony charges from grams to gram of drugs containing any amount of fentanyl That change spurred bitter debate in the legislature as advocates argued it would spur more people to seek remedy and would crack down on dealers while opponents argued the change would further criminalize addiction A assessment published in March on the law s effects exposed that it had almost no impact on overdose deaths but may have discouraged people from sticking with rehabilitation Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter The Spot