Over the past decade, the fentanyl epidemic has emerged as a critical public health crisis in the United States. According to USAFacts.org, overdoses from the drug have claimed over 330,000 lives since 2012, devastating communities large and small in the process. In Northern California, the powerful synthetic opioid’s impact has been acutely felt in Placer and Nevada counties. Despite their similarities, the county neighbors have adopted markedly different approaches to combat the life-or-death crisis.
Harm Reduction: Support, not Stigma
As I opened the glovebox of my mom’s car looking for a tissue, out spilled a handful of individually packaged nasal sprays. Confused, I picked them up and analyzed the product. “Those are Narcan,” said my mom, a nurse at a local correctional facility, “Take a few, put them in your purse. They can save a life.”