California to Levy Heavier Punishment for Fentanyl Traffickers

KQED's The California Report - A podcast by KQED

Large-scale traffickers of fentanyl could soon face stiffer criminal penalties in California; that's the result of a law signed by Governor Newsom over the weekend. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Governor Newsom has signed a bill that delegitimizes a controversial medical diagnostic theory called "excited delirium," which has been used to defend law enforcement in cases where a person has died while in custody. Reporter: Stephanie O'Neill Patison, KFF Health News Environmentalists cheered when a ghost lake in California’s Central Valley refilled earlier this year, because it created new wetlands for birds; but now, avian botulism is brewing in Tulare Lake. It’s deadly to birds, and rescuers are in a mad dash to prevent a massive die-off. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices