STATE SEN. JANET NGUYEN (R-37th District).

By Jim Tortolano/Orange County Tribune

A sobering lecture on the fentanyl crisis was delivered by State Sen. Janet Nguyen at Tuesday’s meeting of the Garden Grove City Council.

Nguyen (R-36th District), a Garden Grove native, was at the meeting to deliver an update on state issues.

“Fentanyl has killed more people than COVID, more than in Vietnam, more than in Korea,” she said, describing the toll that the powerful synthetic opioid drug has inflicted .

Created and prescribed for the relief of severe pain, it’s become popular for its potency as a quick, powerful intoxicant that can easily result in a fatal overdose.

Speaking of legislation she’s sponsored to increase the criminal penalties for the possession for sale of fentanyl, she told the story of a high schooler with a sports injury who was offered a bit of the drug by a social media “friend.” The result was death.

“If you think this sort of thing doesn’t happen, you’re wrong,” she said.

Also on Tuesday night, the council:

• adopted a proclamation recognizing Joe Hammer and Andrea Perez being named as the 2023-2024 Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce Man and Woman of the Year;
• heard an update on the city’s plan to address homelessness.

The next regular meeting of the council is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 24.