🗓 Public Hearing Scheduled: Monday, February 10, 2025
🏛 Where: Senate Judiciary Committee @ 1:30 PM in the Old Supreme Court Room

STOP SB25-044!

SB25-044 is a dangerous rollback to the extreme War on Drugs policies that fueled mass incarceration, devastated communities, and punished people who use drugs instead of holding drug manufacturers accountable.

What does SB25-044 do?

SB25-044 would make it a Level 1 Drug Felony to possess, distribute, sell, dispense, or manufacture any amount of synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl. Level 1 Drug Felonies carry a minimum sentence of 8 years in prison (up to 32 years) and fines of up to $1 million. 

It also eliminates key legal protections by:

  • Removing the provision that reduces penalties if a person can prove they didn’t reasonably know their substance contained fentanyl.

  • Ending the ability for courts to lower felony drug convictions to misdemeanors for individuals who successfully complete probation or a community program.

Punitive laws like these separate families, create unjust sentences that do not consider individual circumstances, and divert resources away from effective public health interventions. We are all concerned about fentanyl and overdose, but we can't arrest or imprison our way out of this crisis.

🚨 Take action! Tell the Senate Judiciary Committee to oppose SB25-044, and prioritize public health over prison bars. 

📩  Email the Senate Judiciary Committee members and demand they vote NO on SB25-044:

  • Chair: Senator Julie Gonzales (D) 

  • Vice-Chair: Senator Mike Weissman (D) 

  • Senator Matt Ball (D) 

  • Senator Lindsey Daugherty (D) 

  • Senator Dylan Roberts (D) 

  • Senator John Carson (R)

  • Senator Lisa Frizell (R) 


Cut & Paste: julie.gonzales.senate@coleg.gov, mike.weissman.senate@coleg.gov, matt.ball.senate@coleg.gov, lindsey.daugherty.senate@coleg.gov, dylan.roberts.senate@coleg.gov, john.carson.senate@coleg.gov, lisa.frizell.senate@coleg.gov

Take Action Today!

Even if we defeat SB25-044 in the legislature, this fight isn’t over.

Advance Colorado, led by right-wing political strategist Michael Fields—the architect behind the harmful Propositions 128 and 130 on Colorado’s November 2024 ballot—has already filed two ballot initiatives ( 1 & 2)  to enshrine SB25-044’s principles into law in 2025.  Fields and his dark money allies succeeded in pushing Colorado backward last year. This time, we’re fighting back harder. And we’ll need your help.

Together, we can reject mass incarceration and fight for sensible, evidence-based drug policies rooted in the principles of harm reduction that save lives and keep our communities whole.