SACRAMENTO – California’s fentanyl crisis is reaching catastrophic levels, claiming the lives of minors at an alarming rate. Despite the outcry from families and law enforcement, the state’s laws remain weak when it comes to holding drug dealers accountable—especially those targeting children.
Assemblyman Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale) has introduced AB 568, a bill that would make selling fentanyl to minors a strike under California’s Three Strikes Law, ensuring that those responsible for poisoning children face serious prison time instead of lenient sentences.
“Every day, another family is shattered by fentanyl. How many more children have to die before the supermajority takes action?” Lackey said. “Drug dealers who target kids aren’t low-level offenders. They are predators, and they must be treated as such.”
The statistics are staggering. In 2021, more than 1,500 children died from fentanyl overdoses, many after taking counterfeit pills disguised as medications like Percocet and Xanax. Yet, despite this crisis, the Supermajority has repeatedly blocked attempts to strengthen penalties for fentanyl dealers, leaving children unprotected against this deadly drug.
“Right now, California treats selling meth and heroin more seriously than selling fentanyl to minors,” Lackey stated. “That is a complete failure of leadership.”
While other states have taken aggressive action to crack down on fentanyl trafficking, California lags behind, leaving law enforcement and grieving parents to plead for stronger protections—only to be ignored by legislative leadership.
“This is not about politics—it’s about saving lives,” Lackey said. “Parents deserve better. Our children deserve better. California’s leaders need to stop making excuses and start protecting kids.”
###