Neighbor News
Fentanyl-Synthetic Opioid Epidemic: Elected Officials Are Failing Us
State Representative Candidate Jack Vrett says we're in the middle of a crisis and more must be done to prevent overdoses and deaths.
The fight against fentanyl is personal for me. My father, a retired teacher, was legally prescribed fentanyl patches to help relieve post-surgical chronic neck and lower-back pain, but he became addicted. Fentanyl ruined his life and changed our family forever, even beyond his passing while in hospice care in January 2020. I’ve spoken with countless others in our community who have lost loved ones to fentanyl poisoning or through the ravages of fentanyl addiction.
I am outraged by the legislators in Springfield who sponsored and voted for House Bill 3447 (HB3447), an extraordinarily dangerous bill that, among other things, decriminalizes the possession of less than three grams of fentanyl from a felony to just a misdemeanor.
Three grams may sound small, but that’s not the case with fentanyl. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), just two milligrams can be lethal.[1] Three grams contains thousands of doses and is powerful enough to kill 1,500 people. These are drug dealer quantities. However, under HB3447, possession of less than three grams is just a Class A misdemeanor. For comparison purposes, that’s the same as unlawful possession of alcohol by a minor.[2] HB3447 is outrageous.
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Fentanyl poisoning is on the rise. Deaths from fentanyl have surpassed vehicular accidents to become the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18-45, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) data and reporting by the DEA[3]. Fifty times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, fentanyl is highly lethal and should be called what it is: poison.[4] The DEA reports that the fentanyl purchased on the street is mixed with other illicit drugs to increase potency, or pressed into pills that are made to look like prescription opioids that often contain lethal doses.[5]
The CDC estimates that 82.3% of opioid overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids.[6] Here in suburban Cook County, there were 487 opioid-involved overdose deaths in 2020, a 36% increase from 2019, with 83% of those deaths involving fentanyl, according to the Cook County Department of Public Health.[7] What’s even more startling is that researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago recently reported opioid deaths in Cook County have been undercounted by as much as 15%.[8]
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As bad as this is, it’s getting worse. The DEA recently warned of a new effort by traffickers to use rainbow-colored pills laced with fentanyl in an apparent effort to market to younger people and children.[9] The DEA reported that the “[b]rightly-colored fentanyl is being seized in multiple forms, including pills, powder, and blocks that resemble sidewalk chalk.”[10]
Laws like HB3447 are too extreme for our vulnerable communities. While those suffering from addiction deserve treatment and compassion, we simply cannot go easy on drug dealers – especially not with fentanyl. As Illinois’ criminal justice system shifts towards more leniency for criminals and less attention to victims through the SAFE-T Act and bills like HB3447, someone must stand up for common sense and for the safety of our residents and our neighborhoods.
I’m running for State Representative to do just that. My opponent, incumbent Mark Walker, sponsored HB3447 and voted in favor of it. I believe he was – and still is – wrong and must be held accountable. However, this is merely par for the course with Walker. In 2020, when State’s Attorney Kim Foxx was up for re-election, Walker endorsed her re-election effort, calling her the “national example” of criminal justice reform. He also voted for the dangerous “SAFE-T Act.” Walker’s record on public safety is too extreme for Illinois and the suburban families he claims to represent.
Illinois families deserve more thoughtful attention and discussion than what is currently being offered. While the Illinois House of Representatives has already approved this bill, there’s still time for the State Senate to stand up against it. I urge residents to contact their State Senator and urge them to condemn this legislation and vote no on HB3447.
Common sense demands it.
Jack Vrett is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and a former criminal prosecutor, and special assistant U.S. attorney. He lives in Arlington Heights with his wife Rose Marie, and he is the Republican Candidate for the House of Representatives for the 53rd District.
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