Californians are putting pressure on state lawmakers to crack down on fentanyl dealers. Parents have formed a group called “Stop Fentanyl Dealers” and are calling for voters to decide. They are filing a ballot initiative.
Matt Capelouto’s 20-year-old daughter Alexandra died of a fentanyl overdose in 2019. A bill named after her, called “Alexandra’s Law,” has stalled in the legislature.
Some Democratic lawmakers say harsher penalties are unfair to people of color. So Matt and others are putting forth a ballot initiative, that if passed, would require judges to give the same notice they give to people convicted of DUI – that if you do it again, you could face murder charges.
Half a million signatures will need to be collected for it to be on the 2024 ballot.