Father who lost daughter to fentanyl use responds as Colorado lawmakers push for tougher penalties
Some families and advocates say Colorado lawmakers' push to make penalties stronger for possession and distribution of fentanyl won't help those addicted, but could help stop dealers.
John Allison says all his 34-year-old daughter, Tawny Allison, wanted was to feel normal.
"When I talk about Tawny, I like to talk about her fun spirit, her enthusiasm for doing things that are fun, going out with friends," said Allison. "Really, addiction was just a small part of her."
Allison was the mother of a five-year-old girl, and she was working actively to beat her addiction to fentanyl. Yet, it was that small part that ended up costing her life when she overdosed and died on June 10, 2025.
"She did everything. She attended meetings," said Allison. "She wanted to be sober."
It's at Free Recovery Community in south Denver where people like Allison have turned to amid Tawny's battle with addiction and in the aftermath of her death. Free Recovery Community serves as a gathering place for people who've been victims of all types of addictions. It's also the same place where Allison and countless other families have held funerals in the wake of a loved one's passing.
"The addict who is addicted to fentanyl, I don't think there is any amount of fear you can put in them, where they'll say, 'Okay, I'll stop now,' because it's a very powerful drug," said Ryan Canaday, founder of Free Recovery Community.
Several Colorado lawmakers are now looking to toughen existing legislation for those in possession of fentanyl in any capacity with a ballot measure they hope voters will get a chance to decide on in November 2026.
People like Canaday and Allison, however, say punishing the user in possession of fentanyl won't necessarily curb their addiction.
"I don't think punishment is the answer for the one who's addicted. I don't think a stronger consequence is the answer," said Canaday.
Yet, both men say they do support holding the suppliers and distributors of fentanyl more accountable.
Just this month, there were three separate fentanyl related drug busts in the Denver metro. According to the ballot measure that's being considered, it's in these instances where lawmakers want to impose a mandatory prison sentence of eight to 32 years for people with the intention to sell or distribute.
"Yes, I think you should have the penalty of being in prison, and I don't know how long that should be," said Allison.
Ultimately, though, Allison says it's going to take an emphasis on funding recovery efforts and mental health resources statewide, not just punishments, to spark change in the ongoing fentanyl crisis here.
"If we could have a path that could take someone with an addiction problem and allow them to go from step one to step 10 in a more systematic, smoother way, you wouldn't have someone getting to the second or third step and having roadblocks," said Allison.
"Those consequences have to be paired with real healing and community, and if those two are separated, I don't see how it works," said Canaday.
