Statement from Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, in response to new reports that drug overdose deaths have dropped (4.4%) for the first time since 1990:
“The modest drop in reported overdose deaths offers some hope that expanded naloxone access and other measures we’ve fought for are bearing fruit. But with nearly 70,000 deaths in the US last year alone and many policymakers still embracing failed punitive approaches, we have a long way to go. It is unacceptable that many critical health and harm reduction initiatives — such as syringe access programs, supervised consumption sites, and voluntary evidence-based treatment — continue to face significant legal and other challenges, when they could instead be saving lives.”
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