Anthony A's Senior Project Blog

Project Title: Federalism Unbound: The Vital Role of Subnational Actors in Addressing the Fentanyl Epidemic BASIS Advisor: Dr. Benjamin Kearl Internship Location: University of Arizona Onsite Mentor: Dr. Alex Braithwaite

Project Abstract

This research project endeavors to understand how state and local policymakers and communities can combat the fentanyl epidemic. The unprecedented growth of fentanyl consumption has had deeply negative consequences for both public health and national security in the United States. The potency of fentanyl combined with an American public still reeling from the opioid crisis has produced a situation in which public health officials are scrambling to protect Americans from themselves. Conversely, the fentanyl epidemic has also presented many problems for American national security as the production and sale of fentanyl involves many transnational criminal organizations, threatening the safety of Americans across the country particularly in communities near the southern border. Pima County in particular has been enormously harmed by the fentanyl epidemic and the lingering effects of that harm is the key motivation for this project. One of the critical components of this research project is how the United States and Mexico can collaborate to curb the spread of fentanyl. It is within this context that my internship experiences can illustrate the importance of subnational actors. Working with the Head of the Political science Department at the University of Arizona, I conducted legal research on behalf of the Florence Project. The Florence Project is a local advocacy group that provides legal services of migrant communities. My legal research supports the Florence Project current litigation against the Department of Homeland Security and their discriminatory practices. In conjunction with this experience, I have also had the pleasure of directly shadowing Sam Brown, Chief Civil Deputy for the Pima County Attorney’s Office. In this capacity, I have leveraged legal research and writing to support Pima County’s response to emerging legal situations such as new executive orders from the Trump administration and national litigation. Through these experiences, this project developed policy recommendations and a local strategy for Pima County and Arizona to address the fentanyl epidemic and strengthen their ability to combat organized crime and illicit narcotics.