There are few issues so pressing now as protecting Texans from fentanyl overdoses. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows that fentanyl-related overdoses in our state rose by 399% between 2019 and 2021.
As more of the drug pours into the country, legislators must take action.
North Texans know first hand how deadly fentanyl is. The overdoses it has caused in schoolchildren around the area have devastated families. Our colleagues have reported about the teen deaths and hospitalizations linked to just one drug house in Carrollton. North Texans are also beginning to understand how much the fentanyl trade, with its roots in Mexican cartels, is tied to the area. Federal charges are now pending against a father and son in Plano who officials say are responsible for the largest fentanyl operation in the U.S.
Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and is often used to boost the effect of more expensive drugs. The CDC reports that, in Texas, over 5,000 people died from fentanyl between October 2021 and October 2022. Many of those deaths appear to include people who were never aware they were taking fentanyl.
Given the urgency, it’s heartening to see a bipartisan response in the Legislature. Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, and Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, are pushing to decriminalize fentanyl testing strips as well as other testing options to give people tools to check if the drug they are about to take contains fentanyl. This is a great example of the type of political leadership that is too often missing in our state.
Testing strips are presently considered drug paraphernalia under state law.
Johnson and Hall’s bill, Senate Bill 86, stems in part from Gov. Greg Abbott’s willingness to rescind his initial opposition to legalizing testing strips last December. Reversals on policy are hard for politicians. This change of heart from the governor will save lives and spare some families from the heartbreak of losing a child or other loved one.
Closer to home, the willingness to move faster to address fentanyl was characterized in the response from Dallas ISD leaders. Recently, the board voted to amend its medical treatment policy. The change in policy now enables trained staff to administer the lifesaving overdose drug naloxone, a nasal spray also known as Narcan. The board also ensured all DISD schools have the drug stocked on campus. Other districts in North Texas are doing the same.
Fighting fentanyl deaths is not a Republican or Democrat issue. It’s one that requires a cooperative and fast response from all. In a state so divided, this is an issue we must come together around.
The Dallas Morning News
