WATCH – THERE ARE NO DRUG CRIMES, ONLY DRUG POLICY CRIMES –
May 27, 2021 – “There needs to be a massive expansion of medically assisted treatment, and we need to restore mandatory treatment as an alternative to jail and prison,” he said.
In the crowd, people had differing political viewpoints and opinions on ways to address it and who to blame. Some shared their own stories. “My sister lost her son last year to fentanyl,” one person said. “He was 36 years old.” They also shared concerns. “We need help from the federal and state government,” Supervisor Matt Haney said. “And I want to also say that we also need to have compassion and we need to have intervention for people who are addicted to drugs.” The mayor’s office says police are on pace to exceed a four-fold increase in fentanyl seizures in 2021 over 2020. Officers continue to make arrests for drug dealing. They need people to be held accountable.