Idaho, like the rest of the nation, is in the midst of a fentanyl crisis. Not only is fentanyl deadly, it is often laced into other knockoff pills or drugs — even black-market vape cartridges. Often, a person won’t know they’ve put the lethal synthetic drug into their body until it’s too late. One mistake, if not deadly, could result in mandatory years behind Idaho prison bars.

As the father of a drug-addicted adult son, I can tell you firsthand that addiction is a family disease. My son did not survive it, and 14 years after his death, our family is and will always be forever changed. It’s why I know with every bone in my body that addicts are rarely cured by consequences. In fact, prison time hardened my son in what my family and I called a free “community college” for drugs and a life of crime.

Because of its extreme potency, fentanyl makes drugs cheaper, more addictive and more dangerous. Drug traffickers have flooded the market to boost their profits and stay a step ahead of law enforcement. And because it’s made in cheap, low-tech labs instead of organically grown, law enforcement is chasing its own tail in the outdated “pile-on-a-table confiscations.” Take it away, and drug traffickers easily make more.

Idaho legislators have an opportunity right now to do something that will save lives, serve justice and give law enforcement the tools they need to combat the scourge of drugs in our community.

HB 233 is a bill that recognizes when a knock-off drug is laced with fentanyl, it’s going to weigh more. It further addresses the weight thresholds of several other drugs, like heroin, to better differentiate an addict versus someone who is trafficking high quantities. HB 233 also amends the mandatory minimum sentencing tiers for heroin to match the state’s levels for cocaine and methamphetamine.

Why is all of this legal distinction important? Because one-size-fits-all laws will never get it right. Drug dealers make more money when they add substances to illegal drugs. Drugs are diluted, weigh more, and addicts build a tolerance. With this endless cycle, addicted Idahoans are mislabeled as traffickers who, because of our outdated laws, receive mandatory prison sentences with no chance for treatment or diversion programming.

Warehousing drug addicts in our prisons is short-sighted and does nothing to solve the root causes of our drug epidemic. The war on drugs began half a century ago, and law enforcement is still using the same techniques. “Lock ‘em up” tactics have not worked. My son was not deterred by his incarcerations. He knew he’d get out, and the system never addressed the root cause-his disease.

Misplaced reliance on drug-weight-backed mandatory sentencing will never end the scourge of drugs in our communities. With HB 233, prosecutors could still charge and judges could hand down the harshest sentences for the most egregious crimes. A narrowly tailored judicial safety valve would restore the checks and balances between prosecutors and judges while holding defendants appropriately accountable for their crimes.

No single player in our criminal justice system should ever have the power over another person’s liberty. If the power and resources of our government are used to remove a person’s liberty, the standard must be higher. Idahoans deserve individualized justice, and Idaho lawmakers should immediately consider HB233.

Dennis Mansfield is a business coach, lobbyist and the author of Beautiful Nate (Simon & Schuster), about the death of his oldest son, Nate Mansfield, to drugs. He was the founder of a staffed, safe and sober housing organization that helped many ex-addicts and ex-inmates gain freedom from drugs. He is a longtime conservative political leader in Idaho.