The California Assembly debates whether initiatives against fentanyl, an illegal opioid, with a growing impact in Chula Vista.
One of the two proposals calls for social media platforms to be held accountable for monitoring illegal activities involving their users involving fentanyl, the other seeks to provide all law enforcement officers with resources to save the lives of overdoses.
The two initiatives are from the democratic assemblyman James Ramos.
The incidents in Chula Vista involving Fentynal are frequent.
Ernesto Rentería, of Chula Vista, was sentenced in December for distributing fentanyl and other drugs through UPS parcels, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) discovered.
Two adolescents of Chula Vista overdosed on fentanyl in August. One survived after being administered a Narcan injection, but the other consumed a fatal dose.
Chula Vista police Lt. Frank Giaime reported that the two teens overdosed separately on consecutive days.
It was believed that both teens could have had contacted illegal sellers of opioids through social networks.
in 2020, there were nine identified deaths in Chula Vista and four people that were saved from dying, according to a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) “fentanyl overdose map."
Assemblyman Ramos said the fentanyl overdose problem is growing statewide, not just in Chula Vista.
“Fentanyl-related deaths are skyrocketing across the state and nation, and we can only succeed in meeting this wave of deaths with a continued assault on many fronts,” Ramos said.
He said, "we need a bipartisan, multi-pronged approach to get through this crisis."
The two proposals will be introduced this week to the Health and Judiciary Committees of the California assembly before the appropriations committee, and then to the plenary.
Ramos' proposals, AB1627 and AB1628, have the support of family members of overdose victims and law enforcement officials in the state.
