Changing Times in Public Health Crisis
Watch the video entitled, “In Philadelphia Fentanyl leaves a deadly trail” (dated Feb 17, 2017 Washington Post, captioned, 7 minutes in length) in which reporter Wesley Lowery investigates Fentanyl, the synthetic opioid about 50 times stronger than heroin, and how it has ravaged communities across the nation.
Consider these facts:
- More than 1200 people died of accidental overdose in Philadelphia in 2017, could bringing users off the street reduce that?
- Safe injection sites are illegal under federal law
- Public support for needle exchange programs and safe injection sites remains low in the USA
A study led by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (June 5, 2018) found only 29% supported legalizing safe consumption sites despite research that indicates these strategies would help alleviate the widespread opioid crisis in the United States.
For this discussion, think about all the current state of proposals to open safe injection sites and needle exchange programs in the United States. New York City, San Francisco and Philadelphia are just some of the cities that are actively engaged in efforts to provide these despite the negative position of the Federal Government. Discuss the following:
- Discuss the results where these sites have opened in Vancouver BC, Canada and in Europe.
- Discuss ethical principles and theories that apply to this issue.
Please do not include personal information including your own experiences or anecdotes in your discussion response.