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Knowingly having more than 1 gram of fentanyl would be felony under change to Colorado bill

Knowingly possessing more than 1 gram of fentanyl or a fentanyl compound for personal use would be a felony in Colorado under an amendment passed Wednesday afternoon by the House Judiciary Committee to a bill seeking to stem rising overdose deaths linked to the powerful synthetic opioid. The committee’s 7-4 vote to adopt the amendment […]

Posted inCrime and Courts, News

Adams County couple charged in fentanyl death of their 1-year-old

BRIGHTON — A Colorado couple faces felony charges in connection with the fentanyl death of their 1-year-old child, whom prosecutors say died after ingesting enough of the extremely lethal drug to kill an adult. Thirty-one-year-old Alonzo Montoya and 30-year-old Nicole Casias of the Denver suburb of Brighton were charged with child abuse resulting in death […]

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New bill would stiffen Colorado’s penalties for fentanyl dealers, but leave misdemeanor possession law in place

Possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute the powerful opioid would become a more serious felony crime in Colorado under a bill set to be introduced by Democrats and Republicans in the legislature this week. But having less than 4 grams of the drug for personal use would remain a low-level, misdemeanor offense. The measure, […]

Posted inHealth, News

Calls in Denver, across U.S. to overhaul methadone distribution intensify, but clinics resist

By Markian Hawryluk, Kaiser Health News Days typically start early for patients undergoing opioid addiction treatment at Denver Recovery Group’s six methadone clinics in Colorado. They rise before dawn. Some take three buses to get to a clinic by 5 a.m. for a 15-minute conversation with a counselor and their daily dose of methadone, all […]

Posted inHealth, News

Colorado will get $385 million after Johnson & Johnson, distributors finalize landmark $26 billion opioid settlement

By Geoff Mulvhill, The Associated Press CAMDEN, N.J. — Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and three major distributors finalized nationwide settlements over their role in the opioid addiction crisis Friday, an announcement that clears the way for $26 billion to flow to nearly every state and local government in the U.S. Taken together, the settlements are […]

Posted inNews, Politics and Government

Colorado lawmakers are rethinking a 2019 law that made possessing thousands of lethal fentanyl doses a misdemeanor

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and state lawmakers are rethinking a 2019 law that made possession of thousands of lethal doses of fentanyl a misdemeanor as overdoses from the potent opioid continue to rise.  The law is getting even more attention after five adults died from a suspected fentanyl overdose Sunday in Commerce City. Last year, […]