Working to End the Fentanyl Crisis

Cascade PBS Ideas Festival

Three advocates weigh in on the rising threat of the synthetic opioid — and what policymakers can do to fight it.

Seattle is in the midst of a fentanyl crisis. Of the 310 overdose deaths recorded in the city in 2022, more than half were from the powerful synthetic opioid. And we are not alone.

For this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast we are talking about the crisis afflicting cities across the country with three advocates for public health and safety.

Journalist Andrew Engelson speaks about the rising threat of fentanyl with Brad Finegood of Public Health for Seattle and King County; Darcy Jaffe, senior vice president of safety and quality for the Washington State Hospital Association; and Julian Saucier, who works to support organizations and coalitions impacted by the criminal justice system.

The trio challenges listeners to think of the issue as a health crisis rather than a matter of morality. And they identify three key areas policy-makers and the government should be focused on to help bring it to an end.

This conversation took place May 6, 2023.

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Credits

Host: Paris Jackson

Producer: Seth Halleran

Event producers: Jake Newman, Anne O'Dowd

Engineers: Resti Bagcal, Viktoria Ralph

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