SACRAMENTO, Calif — California lawmakers are taking steps to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl.
Over the weekend, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that requires schools to notify parents and guardians about the risk of social media platforms being used to market and sell synthetic drugs, like fentanyl.
Assemblymember Joe Patterson (R-Rocklin), who represents Placer and El Dorado counties, authored the bill after hearing the story of 17-year-old Zach Didier when he was mayor of Rocklin. The Rocklin teen died from fentanyl posioning after taking a counterfeit pill he got off of Snapchat.
"That was the first I ever heard about fentanyl, and almost every parent I've met that has lost a child to fentanyl has said they didn't don't know how they got it or where it came from," Patterson said.
He said a similar bill was implemented this year notifying parents about the dangers of fentanyl.
He said the notifications are estimated to go out to around six million parents each year.
"I think this is going in the right direction," Zach's father Chris Didier said. "Especially since it enhances awareness and education, but I believe far more needs to be done to hold social media responsible to better police harms from their platforms."
Patterson agrees more needs to be done.
"Also, we need other things too like treatment, but also accountability for people who are peddling this stuff into our community. So, this is one small step," Assemblymember Patterson said.
"I don't think this is a solution that's going to totally solve the fentanyl problem, but it's part of the education process for parents and kids," he added. "If only 1% of parents read this every single year, you're talking about 60,000 parents are going to become more educated."
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, seven out of every 10 pills they seize contain a lethal dose of fentanyl.
The law takes effect on Jan. 1, but Patterson estimates parents will start to see it implemented next school year.
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