Blue Rising Together, an organization focused on issues that make it difficult to grow up in Colorado, shared its support of passing bipartisan legislation to combat “the epidemic being caused by fentanyl across the state.”

Dawn Reinfeld, executive director of Blue Rising Together, said the organization has been working for months with stakeholders and parents to address the fentanyl crisis.

“We believe there is a critical legislative balance that must be reached to save lives – a balance that provides resources for those struggling with addiction, yet holds accountable those who are knowingly selling fentanyl, poisoning loved ones and causing their deaths,” Reinfeld said.

“Tragically we lost five lives last weekend at once, but everyone needs to know that we are losing that many lives every week, sometimes every day,” Boulder resident Richard Leddon said in a release. “I lost my 19 year old son last year when he thought that he was taking a single Oxy pill – but it was laced with fentanyl, and he died alone. Everyone needs to know that one pill can kill, it happened to my son and we will never be the same. Something must be done.”