Colorado is in the midst of a devastating and worsening drug overdose crisis, and it’s no secret the proliferation of opioids during the past decade has ripped our communities apart. While national overdose deaths are on the decline, Colorado is still moving in the wrong direction. Recent CDC data shows between April 2023 and April 2024, Colorado’s overdose rate grew, even as most other states made progress. In Denver alone, 598 people in Denver died from opioid overdoses in 2023, a 22% spike from 2022. Behind these numbers are real lives: sons, daughters, siblings, parents, friends and neighbors lost to preventable tragedies. 

This urgent crisis demands immediate and ongoing attention from policymakers, our health and safety systems, our schools and workplaces and all of us in our shared accountability for the well-being of our communities. That’s why Colorado lawmakers must pass bipartisan House Bill 25-1293, a smart, compassionate step forward to protect our children and communities from the harms of fentanyl and other deadly substances. 

HB 25-1293 requires the state board of education to adopt high school health education standards regarding drug overdose risks, identification of a drug overdose event and drug overdose prevention and response. This ensures young Coloradans have accurate, life-saving information and support in the places where they spend the most time. In addition to setting standards for overdose prevention education, HB25-1293 empowers schools to implement overdose prevention plans and encourages them to stock opioid antagonists proven to prevent overdose and save lives.

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This bill isn’t just common sense — it’s essential to keeping Colorado’s teenagers and young people as safe as can be amidst the threat to health and safety posed by these deadly and widely available substances. Colorado ranks among the five worst states in the nation for youth with substance use disorder, according to Mental Health America’s 2024 state rankings report. We’re failing our kids when it comes to substance use, and they’re paying a terrible price. We need to meet our school-aged children where they are, with evidence-based education, prevention resources, and care, equipping them with the tools and knowledge they need to make more informed decisions about substance use and to look out for their peers. 

Let’s be clear: what works for better health outcomes is health education. What works is making sure young people are well-informed about the risks and have the resources they need to stay alive and healthy. If we’re going to curb Colorado’s climbing overdose rate, we need to correct course. We owe it to every young person in our state to implement evidence-based approaches to overdose prevention.

Vincent Atchity is president and chief executive of Mental Health Colorado.