The City of Seattle is funding supplies for fentanyl and other drug addicts without any attempt to push treatment.
During a council committee hearing this week, Seattle City Councilwoman Sara Nelson questioned a group of public health workers that the city funds to tackle the fentanyl crisis. But as the fatal overdoses soar to historic highs, the city (and King County) are not pushing treatment for addicts. Instead, they’re using a “harm reduction” model that seeks to make drug use “safer” by handing out needles, pipes, and other tools to enable the addict to continue abusing drugs. And they’re now acknowledging treatment is not part of their goals.
“I would like to know what is the harm that’s being reduced by the distribution of supplies that simply help people to use drugs?” Nelson asked the panel of harm reduction advocates. She wanted to know what is seen as a success.
Brad Feingold, a strategic advisor for Public Health Seattle-King County, argued that handing out smoking supplies ends up bringing addicts in for “treatment,” which he said includes connecting them with case managers. Nelson asked how many are coming in for that purpose, but Feingold could not provide an answer.
mynorthwest.com/3892662/rantz-seattle-partners-admit-funding-fentanyl-pipes-over-treatment/