Today is March 8, 2024, and here’s what you need to know:

Colorado House Democrats kill proposal pushing for tougher approach to fentanyl crisis

Michael Fiori was among several people — many with first-hand experience — who testified on a proposal to make possession of any material, compound, mixture, or preparation that contains “any quantity” of fentanyl, carfentanil, benzimidazole opiate, or an analog, a Level 4 drug felony.

His testimony and those of others exemplified the philosophical battle between two divergent approaches to curbing drug addiction, which has killed thousands of Colorado residents in the last few years. Last year, 522 people died from drug overdoses in Denver alone, the most since tracking began in 1923, according to city records. And though final numbers for overdose deaths statewide won’t be available until this summer, the Colorado Department of Health and Environment recorded 1,454 total drug overdose deaths among Colorado residents from 2023, thus far. 

On the one hand, some former addicts and dealers testified that the laws in Colorado do nothing to dissuade them, and, with the tougher penalties kicking in only for carrying more than 4 grams, it enables them to keep up with the bad habits.

On the other hand, former addicts testified that drug addiction is a public health crisis that should not be criminalized but instead dealt with through medication, better treatment options, kindness and understanding.

Colorado lawmakers battle over legalization of supervised drug injection sites

The Colorado legislature is diving anew into the debate over “safe injection sites” — places where a person can consume illicit drugs under the supervision of medical personnel— with opponents saying it encourages illegal drug use, while supporters arguing it will yield positive results in the ongoing public health crisis.

Drug overdoses have killed thousands of Colorado residents in the last few years. Last year, 522 people died from drug overdoses in Denver alone, the most since tracking began in 1923, according to city records. And though final numbers for overdose deaths statewide won’t be available until this summer, the Colorado Department of Health and Environment recorded 1,454 total drug overdose deaths among Colorado residents from 2023, thus far.

The House Health and Human Services committee this week advanced, on a party line 9-4 vote, legislation to allow municipalities to operate “overdose prevention centers,” but it is unclear whether it will meet the same fate as a similar measure from last year.

Notably, Gov. Jared Polis opposes the legislation. Last year, a spokesman said the governor “has been clear with Coloradans and the legislature that he is opposed to these drug use sites.”

While proponents of the bill and similar measures in other states say supervised injection centers can prevent overdoses and save lives, opponents argue they enable drug use without addressing the root cause of addiction.

Federal judge slams 'endless' conspiracy-laden lawsuit against court officials, city of Loveland

A federal judge last week threw out a lawsuit from a Colorado man alleging he was the victim of a conspiracy of judicial fraud and forgery, after his original efforts to baselessly extract $300 million from the city of Loveland were themselves deemed fraudulent.

Since 2021, Eyoel-Dawit Matios has insisted Loveland owes him hundreds of millions of dollars by nature of an agreement the city did not enter into and that originated from a company with a history of fraudulent arbitration awards. After multiple trial and appellate judges agreed Matios’ case was meritless, he then sued members of the judiciary and claimed their orders were forged or the product of bribery.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge William P. Johnson of New Mexico, who stepped in after the entire bench on Colorado’s federal trial court recused itself, concluded Matios’ latest allegations were not viable, unsubstantiated or otherwise sought to relitigate his invalid arbitration award.

“Despite his prior litigation seeking to confirm a fraudulent arbitration award (which ended in dismissal and sanctions), Plaintiff re-filed his case seeking resolution of the exact same issues against court staff, judges, and lawyers,” Johnson wrote in a March 1 order. “The endless litigation needs to stop.”

Abby Swoveland calls herself one of the lucky ones.

Her mom was a victim of the Return to Nature Funeral Home catastrophe in which 189 bodies were discovered, many deteriorating and some unidentifiable, in the Penrose facility last year.

“I’m one of the lucky ones in that she was identified,” Swoveland told Colorado Politics Thursday. Her mom’s body was left to rot at Return to Nature for two months, she explained.

When the unanimous vote on House Bill 1335 was announced, Swoveland put her head in her hands, briefly, celebrating how lawmakers understood “the only way any good can come” from her experience is by making changes in the law. “I was so relieved!” she said.

President Joe Biden took on Donald Trump in a fiery speech to Congress on Thursday, accusing his election rival of threatening U.S. democracy and kowtowing to Russia, as he laid out his case for four more years in the White House.

In his last State of the Union address before the election, Biden, a Democrat, charged Trump, his Republican challenger in the Nov. 5 election, with burying the truth about the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol assault, bowing to Russian President Vladimir Putin and torpedoing a bill to tighten restrictions at the U.S. border with Mexico.

The 68-minute speech gave Biden, who is suffering from low approval ratings, a chance to speak directly to millions of Americans about his vision for another four-year term and offer a contrast with Trump, whose name he did not mention but whose presence reverberated throughout the speech.

Speaking before a joint session of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, Biden opened his remarks with direct criticism of Trump for his comments inviting Russian Putin to invade other NATO nations if they did not spend more on defense.

“Now, my predecessor, a former Republican president, tells Putin, quote, ‘Do whatever you want,'” Biden said. “I think it’s outrageous, it’s dangerous and it’s unacceptable.”