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Fentanyl in the National Spotlight
A drug crisis of epic proportions has become the tragedy of our time.
“In March 2022, 12-month drug-overdose fatalities reached their highest recorded level in the United States, with an estimated 110,360 deaths,” wrote the New England Journal of Medicine on July 6, 2023.
It was grim news for a nation already exhausted by war, a pandemic, and growing economic uncertainties.
“Changes in illicit drug supply during the pandemic have resulted in more fentanyl-associated overdose deaths,” warned the prestigious medical publication. “The potency of fentanyl and the rapidity of onset of its effect have the potential to increase overdose mortality, especially among people who are unable to receive timely medical care.”
The news about fentanyl overdoses spread quickly in the media, spurring a certain amount of journalistic soul-searching.
“What Happened When Oregon Decriminalized Hard Drugs,” wrote Jim Hinch for The Atlantic on July 19, 2023, before admitting: “A bold reform effort hasn’t gone as planned.”
“Three years ago, while the nation’s attention was on the 2020 presidential election, voters in Oregon took a dramatic step back from America’s long-running War on Drugs,” began Hinch. “By a 17-point margin, Oregonians approved Ballot Measure 110, which eliminated…