SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — In the battle against fentanyl, state and local leaders are joining forces in supporting a bill that would implement tougher penalties for drug dealers.
"My son was in the hallway next to his room, with a plastic blanket draped over him, and the police would not let me say goodbye because of the potential exposure to fentanyl,” Laura Brinker-White says.
Laura says she lost her 17-year-old son, Connor, to a fentanyl overdose in 2021.
The Cathedral Catholic High School student was an athlete and active in his community.
But Laura says one pill took all of that way.
Now she’s standing with state, county, and city leaders to support AB 367, something Assemblymember Brian Maienschein is pushing for. This would increase penalties for drug traffickers who knowingly sell or make illicit substances like fentanyl.
If passed, it could add three to five years to their sentence.
District Attorney Summer Stephan says this would send a strong message about the effort to get a handle on the battle against fentanyl.
“This is much needed. Our country speaks through our laws. We tell people what our values are. We tell people what we care about and we tell criminals at we won’t tolerate through our laws,” she says.
Councilmember Raul Campillo knows how devastating the drug can be, since he lost his brother to a fentanyl overdose.
“I want every Senator and Assemblymember to tell my parents, why that sentencing enhancement is not appropriate,” he says.
Next month this bill will make its way to the Public Safety Committee in Sacramento.
