Breanna Reeves
The California National Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force seized 1,170,893 pills containing fentanyl and 986 pounds of fentanyl powder in May alone, according to an announcement by CA Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Since January 2024, the task force has seized an estimated seven million pills containing fentanyl across the state, including at ports of entry along the southern border.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, typically prescribed by doctors to treat pain. It is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.
According to the California Department of Public Health, there were nearly 6,000 opioid-related overdose deaths in California in 2021.
“California’s robust partnerships to tackle illegal fentanyl are leading to significant results time and time again,” Newsom said in a press release. “We will continue to take fentanyl out of our neighborhoods, hold drug traffickers accountable, and expand access to life-saving medicine to benefit all Californians.”
Recently, Newsom more than doubled the deployment of CalGuard service members embedded with the Counterdrug Task Force to crack down on fentanyl smuggling.
Additionally, Newsom and state legislators have been addressing the ongoing fentanyl crisis in other ways, including enacting stricter laws. In January, Assembly Bill 701 took effect which adds three years to the sentence for dealing more than one kilogram of fentanyl, and sentencing increases as the weight of a substance gets larger. AB 701 also classifies fentanyl on the same list of controlled substances which include heroin and cocaine. These substances carry harsher penalties and sentencing enhancements for drug traffickers and dealers.
Two bills that seek to address the fentanyl crisis currently await Senate approval: AB 1976 which would require businesses to carry naloxone nasal spray in first aid kits by July 2027. Naloxone is an emergency medical treatment that blocks the effects of an opiate overdose. AB 1841 would provide two doses of naloxone to residential advisors, house managers or residents at California’s public colleges. These bills are part of Safer California, a series of policies aimed at addressing several safety issues in the state, including the growing fentanyl crisis.