Riding as part of a foreign aid package, the FEND OFF Fentanyl Act was signed into law. The legislation declares fentanyl trafficking a national emergency and plans to crack down on drug traffickers in an effort to help combat the opioid crisis.

THURSDAY, MAY 9
PROGRAM #10369 12:00 PM PT

Cracking Down on Fentanyl.

Riding as part of a foreign aid package, the FEND OFF Fentanyl Act was signed into law. The legislation declares fentanyl trafficking a national emergency and plans to crack down on drug traffickers in an effort to help combat the opioid crisis. Will this plan really help lower the epidemic of fentanyl overdose deaths? Public health and drug policy experts comment on this development. They also look into plans to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug as well as California’s move to offer a cheaper opioid overdose drug as a way to end deaths, among other news.

Guests: José López Zamorano, News Correspondent, Washington, DC; Maritza Pérez Medina, Director, Office of Federal Affairs, Drug Policy Alliance, Washington, DC; Mayra Vega, Deputy Director of Communications and Planning, Department of Health Care Access and Information-HCAI, Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, Sacramento, CA.

Photo: Felipe Caparros/Adobe Stock license

For more information about Linea Abierta and to find previous shows visit our  Linea Abierta page.