Mayor Todd Gloria and California Attorney General Rob Bonta hosted a roundtable discussion in San Diego Wednesday on strategies and actions being taken to address the growing problem of the dangerous street drug fentanyl.
"This is a problem that demands a unified response from all segments of our society -- government, health care, law enforcement and the community," Gloria said. "Today, we are standing united to stop the misery that fentanyl is causing in San Diego and across California.
"In San Diego, we are sending the message to dealers that preying on our children, our families and people experiencing homelessness will not be tolerated -- and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law," he added.
Gloria and Bonta were joined in the closed-door roundtable by elected officials including Assemblyman Brian Maienschein, D-San Diego, County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas, District Attorney Summer Stephan, Sheriff Kelly Martinez and 14 others.
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"California is all-in when it comes to addressing fentanyl and protecting the safety of our communities," Bonta said. "Fentanyl is a threat to our communities as it is cheap, potent and very lethal. Fentanyl can be disguised in common drugs, and just a small amount is enough to potentially kill a user. We urge Californians, especially our youth, to steer clear of this lethal drug."
Gloria issued an executive order in November 2022 that directed action and cooperation with law enforcement to address the crisis, in hopes of stemming the addiction and overdoses that claimed the lives of more than 400 San Diegans in 2022 -- and more than 800 countywide.
Since that order, there has been a 63% increase in arrests of fentanyl dealers in San Diego, a statement from Gloria's office read.
San Diego also has several initiatives funded by proceeds from a legal settlement with opioid manufacturers, including:
- 66 shelter beds with drug treatment services in partnership with the county
- Laser-detection devices that the San Diego Police Department will use to test for fentanyl in the field
- A jail-diversion program that directs users into treatment
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"Drug cartels, such as the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels, are driving addiction and fentanyl poisonings in the United States," Drug Enforcement Agency Special Agent in Charge Shelly Howe said. "Fentanyl dealers are a top priority for the DEA and our law enforcement partners.
"Today's roundtable demonstrates that local, state and federal agencies are working together to combat the fentanyl crisis at every level" she said. "Our joint mission is to hold fentanyl dealers accountable and to save lives."
County and health care leaders shared public-health strategies for drug and overdose treatment, while the Medical Examiner's Office confirmed that illicit fentanyl continue to be the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 18 and 45, as well as among people experiencing homelessness.
"In the last two years, we've seen a nearly 90% increase in the number of patients coming into our emergency departments due to fentanyl use," said Chris Howard, president and CEO of Sharp HealthCare. "Over that period, we've also seen more than a 30% increase on the inpatient level. As discussed in our roundtable, it's clear that more action is needed countywide to reduce harm from fentanyl and prevent recidivism.
"From a health care perspective, increasing the number of residential treatment beds would mean that patients, especially the unhoused, could be discharged directly to residential programs to receive the care they need to fight their addiction," Howard said. "And deploying a no-cost fentanyl test strip program here in San Diego would give people the ability to test for the presence of fentanyl in a drug and reduce the number of inadvertent exposures to the substance."
According to the city statement, Maienschein and representatives from the California National Guard shared the state's increase last month of National Guard patrols at the border to combat fentanyl smuggling and reported that the agency helped intercept more than 28,000 pounds of fentanyl at the southern border last year alone -- a 567% increase over the previous year.
