CALIFORNIA’S FENTANYL FIGHT: Lawmakers V. Grieving Mother and father
CALIFORNIA’S FENTANYL FIGHT: Lawmakers V. Grieving Mother and father
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One of many hardest-fought political battles in 2024 occurred inside California’s Capitol between a bunch of grieving dad and mom who misplaced their youngsters to fentanyl and a handful of highly effective politicians who have been against growing legal penalties.
This year-long investigation, led by CBS Information California investigative correspondent Julie Watts, combines gripping statehouse investigative reporting with groundbreaking AI-assisted knowledge journalism from our companions at CalMatters, to offer an unprecedented have a look at how California’s one-party supermajority legislature systematically avoids transparency and accountability by killing controversial laws with out voting on the report.
They fought for fentanyl laws, but it surely was killed earlier than lawmakers even obtained to vote. 4 grieving mothers wished to know why.
We start with their uncovering of the reality utilizing a brand new AI device designed to assist on a regular basis Californians maintain lawmakers accountable.
Unintentional Activists | California’s Fentanyl Battle
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In 2024, CalMatters’ new Digital Democracy Database gave us the instruments to research a whole lot of 1000’s of votes and dozens of hours of legislative hearings in ways in which merely weren’t doable earlier than. Nevertheless, it was Alexandra’s Legislation that gave us a case research exposing California’s supermajority politics at its finest, or worst, relying on who you ask.
Should you ask Alexandra’s dad and mom, they’re going to inform you lawmakers used their daughter as a political pawn.
Enjoying politics with Alexandra reminiscence | California’s Fentanyl Battle
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Whereas California lawmakers wouldn’t improve legal penalties for fentanyl, they did decriminalize fentanyl take a look at strips, which have been thought of drug paraphilia till 2022. Together with Narcan, state legislation now requires take a look at strips on school campuses.
Nevertheless, as fentanyl take a look at strips are normalized, our testing discovered that take a look at strips alone can present a false sense of safety. That is likely one of the many classes realized from the growing variety of fentanyl loss of life investigations… Classes grieving dad and mom and legislation enforcement hope you may share.
A false sense of safety | California’s Fentanyl Battle
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Julie Watts
contributed to this report.
Extra from CBS Information
Julie Watts
