Opinion: The War on Drugs didn’t end the overdose crisis. Proposition 132 won’t either.

Every Coloradan of good sense wants the same thing: fewer overdose deaths, healthier communities and hope for families afflicted by addiction. We do too.

That’s why we oppose Proposition 132, a statewide ballot measure that will significantly increase mandatory prison sentences (up to 32 years) for certain opioid-related offenses and eliminate opportunities for some people convicted of drug possession felonies to clear those convictions from their records. Supporters believe harsher penalties will help curb the opioid crisis. We share their urgency, but cannot support the heightened criminalization they propose as a solution.

As leaders in public health and emergency medicine, we’ve seen the opioid crisis up close. We’ve comforted grieving families, treated people whose lives were saved by timely medical care, and worked alongside communities searching for answers. The urgency is real. But urgency doesn’t justify policies that decades of evidence show will make the crisis worse.

Coloradans face an important choice. Proposition 132 asks voters to respond to the opioid crisis by returning to a familiar strategy: harsher criminal penalties, longer prison sentences and more permanent consequences for people convicted of certain drug offenses. It’s a reheated version of a policy America has tried and failed with for more than 50 years.