Seattle Mayor's Reveals This BOLD Plan To Tackle Drug Overdose Epidemic

Written By BlabberBuzz | Thursday, 20 April 2023 02:10 PM
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Seattle Mayor's Reveals This BOLD Plan To Tackle Drug Overdose Epidemic

According to city officials, Seattle is facing a significant overdose epidemic.

Between 2021 and 2022, the number of deaths from overdose increased by 72%. The city said most deaths were due to methamphetamine and Fentanyl. Now, the mayor is trying to do something about it.

On Monday, the mayor signed an executive order to help prevent drug use and the deaths that come with it. One part of the new program will involve paying people to head to treatment. They’ll receive gift cards. Another aspect of the order will launch a new overdose response unit. The Seattle Fire Department will work on a new team that responds quickly to overdose survivors. The goal is to engage with survivors rapidly to get them to accept treatment.

The mayor isn’t stopping there. The mayor of Seattle also wants to establish a new facility where people can recover after an overdose.

Others are quick to point out the problems with the mayor’s goals. According to The Post Millennial, “However, the mayor failed to address where the additional staff would come from as the department is already grappling with a massive staffing shortage so severe that one whistleblower said, ‘Someone is going to get killed,’ and believes that the city will not take any action to solve the problem even if the next victim is a firefighter.”

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Other people have not hesitated to point out that firefighters fired due to the vaccine mandate can help with the staffing shortage, but they aren’t being offered their jobs back. The vaccine mandate has now expired.

Other methods are being implemented, or have already been implemented, to help with the drug overdose problem. For example, Narcan is available in vending machines. Many wonder if this will also help with Seattle’s homelessness problem. The city has spent over $1 billion on homelessness, but the number of people sleeping on the streets continues to rise. According to The Post Millennial, about 80% of the people on the roads also have a drug problem.

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