Biden’s fentanyl position sparks criticism from 2 sides

By GEOFF MULVIHILL
Associated Press

When President Joe Biden called on the U.S. to address the nation’s deadly overdose crisis, it touched off criticism from two sides. Some Republicans frame the destruction wrought by the synthetic opioid fentanyl as a border security issue and say Biden has made it worse. Some lawmakers jeered him during Tuesday’s State of the Union address. On the other side, harm reduction advocates see a different problem with Biden’s approach. They are critical of his call for “strong penalties to crack down on fentanyl trafficking.” Such advocates say more penalties aimed at one drug result in the introduction of even more dangerous substances.