Colorado Anti-Fentanyl Initiative Submits 200,000 Signatures for 2026 Ballot

Overview

• Advance Colorado said it turned in roughly 200,000 voter signatures on Thursday to qualify Initiative 85 for the 2026 statewide ballot, more than the roughly 125,000 valid signatures required.
• The Secretary of State’s office is verifying the petitions and is expected to determine by Dec. 19 whether the measure will appear on the ballot.
• Initiative 85 would shift Colorado law from a felony threshold of more than four grams to a zero‑tolerance standard for possession, with mandatory prison terms, while allowing some low-level offenders court-ordered treatment.
• Backers include Republican lawmakers and law enforcement figures such as District Attorney George Brauchler and Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, who argue tougher penalties are needed to curb distribution.
• Opponents from criminal justice and public health groups warn the measure would eliminate the ‘knowingly possess’ standard, lacks new treatment funding, and repeats punitive approaches researchers say did not reduce overdose deaths after a 2022 law.