![[UPDATED]: The $13 billion cost of fentanyl to Colorado’s families, budgets and communities](https://rockymountainvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/The-13-billion-cost-of-fentanyl-to-Colorados-families-budgets-and-communities-840x440.png)
[UPDATED]: The $13 billion cost of fentanyl to Colorado’s families, budgets and communities
By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice
[UPDATED – July 3, 2025]: This story has been updated to include comments from Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly on Colorado’s fentanyl laws and enforcement challenges.
Each Colorado taxpayer carries the burden of the fentanyl crisis, and in 2024, that amounted to about $2,220 per resident. A June report from the Common Sense Institute estimated the total cost for Colorado at $13.1 billion. This financial burden becomes reality in emergency healthcare services, preventative programs and lost productivity.
But there’s also the deep emotional toll on families shattered by addiction and loss.
Despite rising pressure to prevent overdose deaths and target traffickers, a 2024 bill to increase penalties for fentanyl posses...
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