TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Last month the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Attorney General’s office announced a new task force aimed at cracking down on fentanyl distribution in the state. But drug policy experts say enforcement efforts don’t address the root issue of the rising number of overdose deaths.
Instead, they say efforts to combat fentanyl should be focused on treatment and prevention. Matt Sutton is with the Drug Policy Alliance. “As long as we continue with that approach of supply-side interdiction and increased enforcement, we will continue to see a more dangerous drug supply,” Sutton said. “We will continue to see more overdoses.”
The attorney general’s office says new enforcement efforts will be more difficult for drug dealers and smugglers to evade. Attorney General Kris Kobach would not elaborate on what those new enforcement measures would look like. He says he plans to make an announcement later this month.
