State Sen. Josh Becker will host a virtual town hall to address the fentanyl epidemic on August 31st. The town hall will discuss what fentanyl is, how it affects the body and how the State government handles the crisis.

"There is no doubt that California is facing a deadly epidemic with fentanyl. In 2021, 5,961 Californians died from fentanyl overdose... 1 in 5 youth deaths involved fentanyl that year. These deaths come, in part, from people unknowingly buying another substance that turns out to contain fentanyl," said Senator Becker in an event announcement. "Lack of understanding of this epidemic is contributing to needless overdoses and death."

Guest speakers at the town hall will include:

Dr. Windy McNerney, Ph. D., Director of Biological Science Core Division in the Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) at the VA Palo Alto, and a Clinical Associate Professor (affiliated) at Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine

Santa Clara County Supervisor Otto Lee

San Mateo County Superintendent Nancy Magee

Parent activists Ed Ternan, President of Song for Charlie, and Liz Walker of the Colin Walker Memorial Foundation.

Residents are encouraged to RSVP and send in questions before the Zoom event.

The topic of the discussion is: Addressing the Fentanyl Crisis: What’s Being Done on the Peninsula?

Date and time: Thursday, August 31, 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.

Click here to RSVP