Denver City Wire

Parents Opposed to Pot, an organization that spreads awareness about the negative affects of marijuana use, said they believe that the legalization of marijuana in the state has led to an increase in the use of other drugs, including fentanyl.

There is some disagreement over whether using marijuana leads to using other drugs, but limited evidence does support the theory, according to the CDC.

"Colorado is known for its weed culture, but also its fentanyl deaths," the organization said in a post to its Twitter account. "The proliferation of pot use is leading to the proliferation of all drugs. We're so sorry that the death tolls continue."

Colorado was one of the initial states in the nation to legalize adult-use recreational marijuana in 2012, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Many other states have since followed in its footsteps, including California, Alaska, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada and Vermont. From January through August of this year, a minimum of 462 people died from fentanyl in Colorado, five of whom were children under the age of 14, The Denver Gazette reported, citing data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. 

One victim died in her Colorado Springs classroom, another in a Dairy Queen. Some critics have blamed the state's fentanyl issues on Gov. Jared Polis, who signed HB 19-1263 into force in 2019, making possession of up to 4 grams of fentanyl a misdemeanor, according to Centennial State News. After facing backlash from law enforcement and other public officials, Polis signed HB 22-1326 into law in May, changing the criminal penalties related to fentanyl once again to make possession of more than one gram of the synthetic opiate a felony.