What is Leo’s Law? Leo’s Law is proposed Oklahoma legislation that would require the state’s child welfare system to include fentanyl in drug testing panels before children are returned to homes during reunification cases.

Why was the law proposed? The bill was inspired by the death of a young Oklahoma boy, Leo Towe, poisoned by fentanyl. His father later learned fentanyl caused the death and began advocating for changes to DHS testing policies.

What happens next? Leo’s Law has already passed a legislative committee and could soon receive a vote in the Oklahoma House before moving to the Senate.

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A young boy named Leonardo was into superheroes, or as he called them, “super superheroes.”

He liked Spider-Man. He couldn’t get enough of the water. His father remembers him as a joyful child who wanted to play ‘super superheroes’ everywhere he went.

Leo was born in 2020. Three years later, he was gone.

His father, Jacob Towe, would eventually learn that the cause was fentanyl poisoning.

One note of editorial privilege: In my initial question to Jacob, I referred to Leo’s death as a fentanyl overdose — and Jacob kindly corrected me.

Leo didn’t choose to take fentanyl. This is a really important subtlety.

Leo was a child. He didn’t knowingly take a drug. He encountered something lethal.

This is a really good lesson for all journalists: the precision of our phraseology matters.

Alas, Jacob didn’t learn it was a poisoning immediately. When Leo died, Towe was told the death might have been caused by something else. Months later, after an autopsy report came back, Towe learned the truth: fentanyl had been ingested.

The experience forced Towe into a role he never expected to have.

An advocate.

After learning the cause of death, Towe began retracing the events that led up to it.

Leo had been living with his mother, who had admitted fentanyl use to child welfare officials. The Oklahoma Department of Human Services had been involved with the family and had previously removed Leo from the home. He was returned to the home roughly two months before his death.

What Towe later discovered was that fentanyl had not been included in the drug testing panel used during the reunification process.

That realization left him with a simple question: if fentanyl use had been tested for, would his son still be alive?

The question became the foundation for a new legislative idea.

Towe began pushing for what is now known as Leo’s Law.

The proposed legislation is straightforward.

It would require the state’s child welfare system to include fentanyl in drug testing panels used when evaluating parents in cases involving child removal and reunification.

This seems like a no-brainer, right?

For Towe, the goal is basic: prevent children from being placed in homes where fentanyl exposure could be possible.

The legislation has already passed a committee in the Oklahoma House and could soon receive a full vote.

Towe did not start his advocacy with political connections.

He started with a petition.

He printed forms, traveled across Oklahoma and collected signatures from residents who supported the idea. Community members helped spread the word, including local leaders who encouraged people to come sign the petition.

Eventually, Towe connected with Oklahoma House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, who agreed to author the legislation.

The bill now has bipartisan support and is being carried in the Senate by another legislator, Sen. Todd Gallihare.

Lawmakers from both parties have expressed support for the proposal, according to Towe, who has spent months meeting with elected officials and advocating for the change.

He has also taken the conversation beyond Oklahoma.

Towe says lawmakers in other states and members of Congress are watching what happens here. Some states have already begun exploring similar legislation.

One of the primary questions raised during the legislative process involves cost.

Adding fentanyl to drug testing panels would require updates to testing procedures, and lawmakers often scrutinize any measure that could increase spending.

Towe argues the financial impact would likely be minimal compared to the broader social and medical costs associated with fentanyl exposure.

From his perspective, preventing even a single child’s death would justify the change.

Leo’s father often returns to one memory.

As a child, Leo loved superheroes. He called them “super superheroes,” a phrase his father still remembers.

Towe now sees his advocacy as a way of honoring that spirit.

If Leo’s Law becomes reality, Towe believes it could save lives not only in Oklahoma but eventually across the country.

And for a father who lost his child, even the possibility of preventing another family from experiencing the same pain makes the fight worthwhile.

If you’d like to follow along with the Leo’s Law journey, join the public Leo’s Law Facebook group. If you or your family needs support after the loss of a loved one due to substance abuse or poisonings, join the private Families Supporting Families in Oklahoma Facebook group.