Today, the Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer and her colleagues on the San Diego Board of Supervisors adjusted the Opioid Settlement Framework it adopted in October of 2022, to redirect $7.5 million towards expanding proven additional prevention and treatment programs. The Supervisor’s action today also authorized the Public Safety Group, Medical Examiner’s Office to add one staff year for toxicology services to expand surveillance of emerging drug trends.

“The crisis of addiction to opioids and fentanyl was ignored by the old Board of Supervisors, but in the last three years we have ramped-up our County’s focus on addiction treatment and prevention,” said Supervisor Lawson-Remer. “The action taken on the Opioid Framework Strategy is one example, but others include the distribution of 35,000 doses of overdose reversal medication in the past year, and giving out 8,000 Fentanyl Test Strips in the last eight months.

“Campaigns to inform our children and families about the dangers of fentanyl and opioids are an important part of our work. On October 18, my office is hosting a town hall with community experts in Carlsbad about this topic. We have taken action, but we must continue to do more.”

Starting at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 18 Lawson-Remer is hosting a Town Hall in Carlsbad about the dangers of Fentanyl. It will be held at the Harding Community Center, 3096 Harding St., Carlsbad, CA 92008. The Supervisor will be joined by City of Carlsbad Mayor Pro Tem Priya Bhat-Patel, County of San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan. Residents can RSVP at linktr.ee/SupLawsonRemer 

“No community is immune to the dangers that come from fentanyl and opioids,” said City of Carlsbad Mayor Pro Tem Priya Bhat-Patel. “By hosting this town hall we want parents and youth to have an opportunity to receive information and ask questions. It is also a chance to become familiar with the available County resources to prevent overdose deaths and test drugs for fentanyl. I hope to see many Carlsbad residents in attendance.”

"Fighting the opioid epidemic with a laser focus on the deadly impact of illicit fentanyl remains a priority for the District Attorney's Office. The Board’s decisive actions responding to the ongoing crisis will make a difference and save lives," said San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan. "My office is holding drug dealers accountable and at the same time investing in prevention and outreach, including an important upcoming Town Hall discussion in Carlsbad about the dangers of opioids and fentanyl which continue taking the lives of too many of our family members, friends, and neighbors."

Actions taken by Supervisor Lawson-Remer and the Board of Supervisors since 2021 include:  

• Adoption of the County of San Diego’s (County) Comprehensive Harm Reduction Strategy (June 8, 2021); 
• Approval of a media campaign to prevent fentanyl overdoses in youth (October 19, 2021);  
• Declaring Illicit Fentanyl a Public Health Crisis (June 28, 2022;  
• Enhancing Fentanyl Education and Strengthening Harm Reduction Efforts for Young People (October 11, 2022);  
• Adoption of the San Diego County Opioid Settlement Framework (October 25, 2022); and 
• Update on Opioid Settlement Framework Implementation and Harm Reduction Media Campaigns (May 23, 2023). 

Key Opioid Stats as of 9/27/2023

• Total Naloxone distributed via vending machines: 2,329
• Total Fentanyl Test Strips via vending machines: 5,640
• Sheriff Leave Behind Program: 1,537 December 2022 and August 2023.
• Total distribution of naloxone (general) = + 35,000 since July 1, 2022
• Total distribution of Fentanyl Test Strips equals over 8,000 since June 2023 (this is when County began distribution)

To read the entire policy, click here