By Will Barclay
Education is our first line of defense when it comes to combating the evils of drug addiction. Too often, our youngest New Yorkers are exposed to illegal, deadly substances with no concept of the risks associated with buying, selling and using those substances. For this reason, Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C-Mohawk Valley and the Adirondacks) has sponsored legislation to help middle- and high-school-aged students understand the deadly consequences of illegal drug use, especially considering the devastation fentanyl and other opioids have brought to our communities in recent years.
Earlier this week, Assemblyman Smullen and members of the Assembly Minority Conference joined grieving parents, including Greg Swan, the co-founder of the Fentanyl Fathers Non-Profit Organization, to introduce Assembly Bill A.8540, also known as the “Fentanyl Fathers and Mothers Act.” The proposal would establish an opioid education and awareness campaign for students in grades six through 12.
The dangers of fentanyl are not theoretical. This crisis hit especially close to home in our Conference as Assemblyman Keith P. Brown (R,C-Northport), who also supports the bill, lost his nephew Jesse just weeks before his 20th birthday. Jesse was a student, employee and youth soccer referee, and his tragedy, like that of other opioid victims, leaves family and loved ones forever impacted. Stories like Jesse’s serve as a powerful reminder of how real this crisis is, and students learning about these stories will respond to their authenticity.
There is great complexity in the way these drugs are manufactured and distributed, and drug dealers are constantly looking for ways to use science to skirt the law. Countless drug-related deaths in New York involved things like “non-methadone synthetic opioids,” a class that includes fentanyl and other synthetic drugs like “carfentanil,” which is 100 times more potent than fentanyl. It is critical students, parents and teachers understand what these words mean, how these drugs work and what the consequences of using them are.
Further complicating matters, drug dealers regularly mix synthetic opioids into other drugs, which creates instances where children may think they are ingesting one thing, but are instead exposed to deadly substances without their knowledge. In these instances, drugs are unknowingly combined, often leading to death.
It is tragic there is a need for such a bill. Yet, the harsh reality of the situation speaks to the demand this step be taken. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 30,000 opioid-related deaths in New York between 2018 and 2024. That’s 30,000 too many. Information is a powerful combatant. Preventing these deaths starts by understanding how they happen, and the Fentanyl Fathers and Mothers Act will give our students the tools they need to make sense of this crisis.
Will Barclay (R,C,I-Pulaski) is the Assembly Minority Leader.