Centennial State News

Miki Sedivy is dedicated to winning the war against fentanyl. It’s not political or theoretical. It’s deeply personal - Sedivy’s 16-year-old daughter, Hannah, died after taking a Xanax pill at home that was laced with fentanyl.

“I have stood up as a mom to fight this deadly drug, I talk about Hannah and have that live presence of a parent. Pictures are not as powerful as a parent standing up and speaking about what happened,” she told Centennial State News. “To fight and let others know that I will be there for them, raising awareness and spreading information so others can have these very uncomfortable conversations with their children about how deadly this drug is. I am here to erase the stigma and change how the media defines our children as overdoses. Our children did not overdose! They were poisoned, poisoned by people who don't care who lives and who dies.”

The Sedivy family tragedy spilled over into the 2022 gubernatorial race when Republican nominee Heidi Ganahl mentioned Hannah’s death during a Sept. 28 debate with Gov. Jared Polis at Colorado State University Pueblo.

During her opening remarks, Ganahl noted Miki Sedivy was in the audience. Ganahl challenged Polis to explain to the mother why he signed a law in 2019 reducing the criminal penalty for fentanyl possession. Polis did not acknowledge the mother.

Colorado GOP Chairwoman Kristi Burton Brown tweeted, “As @HeidiGanahl predicted, @JaredPolis refuses to address the mom of a fentanyl overdose victim in the audience tonight. He doesn’t even acknowledge her. Shameful.”

Sedivy admits it was a difficult night.

“The Ganahl/Polis debate on Sept. 28 in Pueblo was very disappointing and I left very irritated,” she said. “Polis sounded like the head of a cheerleader squad touting his accomplishments in Pueblo, how much he likes the food, and how proud he was to kick off his campaign trail in Pueblo just like he did the last time.

“The topic of fentanyl came up, huge problem of the Denver Metro area. I listened to Heidi speak about what it is doing to our communities and especially kids,” Sedivy said. “When it was Gov. Polis’ turn to speak, I held up an ornament of Hannah while he spoke. Gov. Polis evaded the question and went back to touting what he did for Pueblo, getting his applause. He did quickly mention addicts and I had Hannah's ornament in my hand held up and I looked at him directly and put up my other hand showing One, quietly speaking out saying, ‘My child died from one pill, she was not an addict, just one pill killed her.’”

She said she knows he saw her but he ignored her presence and her pain.

“I wanted to hear him talk about the epidemic we have in Colorado, address it up front and be real and honest. I was there to represent Hannah and be a voice for parents lost their child to fentanyl poisoning,” Sedivy said. “I honestly was heartbroken and felt beat down. How can a parent not be when the person who is supposed to represent Coloradans and what is best for us push us to the back without care, like we are the disposable ones who don't matter?”

She said when she thinks about Polis’ handling of the fentanyl crisis, the quote that has stuck in her mind is, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

“Gov. Polis made a horrible decision in 2019 to decriminalize fentanyl from a felony to a misdemeanor. This year he said that he made a mistake back then, yet again he repeats the same pattern by signing in the new fentanyl bill,” Sedivy said. “He had the chance to send it back to the Legislature and telling them that it is not strict enough and they needed to revise it further. A person can now have up to 1 milligram for ‘personal use’ and only face a misdemeanor, when 1 gram is enough to kill 500 people as 2 mg is where the drug becomes lethal; we are talking 2 grains of salt.

“If someone says they make a mistake and then repeat it, they should not get an ‘Oops I did it again and didn’t realize how bad it truly is’ and get a third try. There is a reason for ‘one pill can kill’ and zero tolerance,” she said. “We parents would rather have our child charged with a felony than to lose them due to having weak policies.”

Colorado experienced the second-highest increase in fentanyl deaths in the country between 2019 and 2021, Axios Denver reported, citing a February 2022 report from the nonprofit Families Against Fentanyl. Fentanyl overdose deaths in the state rose from 5 in 2000 to 540 in 2020 to around 800 in 2021.

In 2019, Gov. Polis signed HB 19-1263 into law, making possession of up to 4 grams of fentanyl a misdemeanor.

Law enforcement officers and local officials spoke out against the bill, with Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers saying at a news conference in January of this year, “Legislators are on a different planet. They don’t see what law enforcement is going through on a day-to-day basis.”

4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen said in an interview that lawmakers are drawing the wrong conclusions.

“Marijuana is not the same thing as fentanyl, but yet fentanyl is being treated the same way as marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, all these different drugs — and not all of them have the same effect on people as fentanyl does,” Allen said.

In 2021 in El Paso County, fentanyl led to more overdose deaths than methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin.

In the wake of that pushback, Polis signed HB 22-1326 into law in May, changing the criminal penalties related to fentanyl once again to make possession of more than one gram of the synthetic opiate a felony.

Sedivy said while that was a step in the right direction, it’s still not enough.

“The legislation has taken the power from the district attorneys across our state to put the decisions into their hands. Many people forget, if a person is charged with a crime it does not mean the conviction will be the same,” she said. “There are various factors considered when a plea deal is offered. There are diversion deals where it stipulates required treatment, they want to help people and see success. We need to give the power back to the police and DAs who face this issue every day, not to people that honestly have no clue of what is happening on our streets. I work in downtown Denver, I see people openly deal and do drugs. They don’t care.”

Sedivy was involved in the process to strengthen the law against the deadly drug.

“I went to the House committee on April 12 when it was opened to the public,” she said. “I had registered to be a speaker, thanks to hearing about it from DA John Kellner’s office. The room was packed with parents, law enforcement, and DAs.

These are the people who face this deadly and highly addictive drug on the frontlines, as well as family members who have lost their precious children to fentanyl poisoning, Sedivy said.

“At that time, it had only been four months since losing Hannah. I think they accidentally missed my name as the hearing was coming to a close, they asked if anyone else in the room was there to testify, I was the very last person to speak, a blessing in a way that they did not cut me off due to the time limits of speakers,” she said. “Hannah was the youngest and the most recent poisoning that appeared during that 13-hour day. Legislators gave me sympathy then. Yet, there is no support.”

Sedivy has become a public face of the pain of fentanyl deaths, and has made many public appearances. Sometimes, the questions are searing, but she strongly believes in her message.

“I was recently asked if our policies were stricter back then, if I believed my daughter would be alive today. My answer is that tougher laws and tougher legislation definitely would have helped this issue,” she said. “Criminals will keep doing the same thing over and over again, especially if there are weak consequences. I can’t say whether or not my child would be alive, which really wasn't a proper question, I just know that the death toll of our children being poisoned would be lower.

“Being public and speaking about Hannah's passing is extremely difficult. Each time it opens the fresh wound; it has only been 10 months,” Sedivy said. “I started talking about Hannah's story in April and I have had amazing support from Heidi Ganahl and DA Kellner. I met Heidi Gahnal on April 9 when she was getting her campaign into gear. Lindsay from Jeffco Kids First had invited me to this event and brought me to meet Heidi and tell her about Hannah.”

She said she received the candidate’s full attention and gave her an ornament that she had personally made for her to carry on her campaign trail. That inspired Sedivy to play a role in the campaign and the ongoing war against fentanyl.

What is the answer? How can this poison be kept out of the hands of naïve and vulnerable people? She has some hard-earned ideas.

“There needs to be a strict policy on fentanyl — zero tolerance. Give the power back to the DAs,” Sedivy said. “Let the police do their jobs. They need support and citizens need to understand this fentanyl poisoning epidemic we are in. There are no what-ifs for me, meaning if a family member gets charged, then that is what happens and let the justice system work. We also need a governor who will remove Denver as a sanctuary city. Cortez has a successful project right now, and I agree with how things are being done.”

Sedivy admits this last year has been a whirlwind, with a painful lesson forcing her to get informed and involved.

“Fentanyl was not on my radar. I knew about it, yet I also knew that my child(ren) wouldn’t use this drug. Hannah did not choose to take fentanyl. Her anxiety was so bad,” she said. “This is far from over and will not end after the elections, Hannah will continue to live on as I keep standing and fighting for her.”