Assemblywoman Fantasia joins grieving mother in push for tougher fentanyl laws following teen’s death
TRENTON, N.J. — Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia (R-Sussex) has partnered with activist Anne Fundner to introduce a legislative package aimed at combating the fentanyl epidemic after Fundner’s 15-year-old son, Weston, died from taking a counterfeit pill laced with fentanyl.
Weston Fundner was found unresponsive in his bedroom on Feb. 27, 2022, after taking what he believed was a common prescription drug shared by an acquaintance. The tragedy struck the tight-knit Southern California family and led his mother to advocate for stronger laws targeting fentanyl trafficking and youth prevention. She later moved to Monmouth County and connected with Fantasia, a fellow mother of three, who was moved by Weston’s story.
“As a mom of three, hearing Anne’s story shattered me,” Fantasia said. “They were the kind of parents we all strive to be—present, engaged, doing everything right. Yet, one counterfeit pill stole their son’s life. It’s a reminder that this crisis can touch any family, anywhere.”
The collaboration between Fantasia and Fundner has resulted in a six-bill legislative package introduced in the New Jersey Assembly. The measures include a grant program for school-based substance abuse prevention (A5833), a proposal to allow juveniles to be tried as adults for certain fentanyl-related deaths (A5941), and “Weston’s Law” (A5961), which would expand the definition of human trafficking to include recruiting minors into drug gangs.
Other bills propose penalties for predatory fentanyl marketing to minors (A5962) and resolutions urging Congress to classify fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction (ACR167) and support the HALT Fentanyl Act (ACR168).
“Not one more child should die because our government refuses to protect its citizens,” Fantasia said. “Weston, Anne, and tens of thousands of other families were failed by leaders who didn’t enforce our laws and refused to modernize them to meet the growing threat of fentanyl. That failure cost lives, and it cannot continue.”
Fundner, who spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention, said her son likely believed he was taking Xanax or Percocet. “My son made one tragic mistake and he didn’t get to learn from his mistake. He died,” she said. “Fentanyl does not allow children to learn from their mistakes anymore.”
She likened fentanyl distributors targeting youth to sexual predators. “This is criminal. This is murder and these people need to be held accountable,” Fundner said.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than morphine and commonly mixed into counterfeit pills. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, synthetic opioids were involved in more than 73,000 of the 110,000 U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2022.
“If we change the laws, we can change the stories,” Fantasia said. “I won’t let Weston’s death and Anne’s advocacy be in vain.”
