Juli Shamash experienced a life-altering tragedy in 2018 when her son died ingesting a pill laced with fentanyl, a highly lethal synthetic opioid most people were unfamiliar with. Now Shamash has successfully advocated for a bill that mandates fentanyl tests to be included in drug screening in emergency rooms.
Authored by Sen. Melissa Melendez (R–Lake Elsinore), California Senate Bill 864, also known as Tyler’s Law, was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Aug. 22. The law will take effect Jan. 1, 2023.
The law is named after Shamash’s son Tyler, who was 19. She said that the night before Tyler passed away, he was sent to a hospital due to a suspected overdose. The hospital ran drug tests, but they all turned out negative….