and some clips you don't want to miss   Dear John, As you may know, today is National Fentanyl Awareness Day, which falls right in the middle of the all-important National Prevention Week. We're proud to partner on this day with Song for Charlie and so many other groups doing incredible work. Ever since helping to launch the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions last September, we have dedicated ourselves to focusing on “big ideas” to move the needle and save lives. After all, a big problem requires big solutions. That is why we have launched a Blue Ribbon Committee, with people like Drs. Jonathan Caulkins and Keith Humphreys, former ONDCP and NYPD Deputy Ben Tucker, former DEA head Karen Tandy, former Asst. Secretary of Health Dr. Howard Koh, Harvard's Dr. John Kelly, NAACP's Teresa Haley, and more to help craft a Blueprint for Effective Drug Policy in 2024. Led by our NAMSDL division chief, Michele Worobiec, J.D., and with assistance from our Senior Advisor/Consultant, Marcia Lee Taylor, our public policy team intends to help craft an evidence-informed guide for policymakers to move the needle on big ideas needed to change the trajectory of drugs in America. Interventions that reduce immediate harm to the individual have their place, but they can’t be seen as anything more than band-aids, albeit necessary ones—not big solutions to reduce the devastation we are seeing now. Unfortunately, some have used this crisis and the need to “meet people where they’re at” to simply leave people where they’re at, and push more radical ideas, like drug legalization or oxymoronic “safe supply” policies for drugs like cocaine and heroin. (An academic review this week from Canada found failure in such policies and an expose in Canada's leading newspaper shows how British Columbia's extreme drug policies are hurting so many people.) We can never leave people in a state of despair. We are currently working in Congress to help consolidate the various anti-fentanyl bills that would ban analogues and make it harder for drug distributors. We are working with our west coast division, led by Tom Wolf, to come up with a plan to end open-air drug markets in our cities, and we are devising plans to widen awareness and education campaigns about all drugs. We also continue to be a singular voice in the media, pushing back against the campaigns to commercialize psychedelics and further normalize marijuana (check out my op-eds in Newsweek and FoxNews.com this week). Thank you for supporting our efforts—and more importantly, for getting the word out during National Prevention Week and today’s Fentanyl Awareness Day! (And check out the Dr. Phil clip from earlier this week below). In gratitude, Kevin & the entire FDPS team “This drug culture where we just want to grab the next magic silver bullet to help us with real traumas is really troubling... psychedelics, alcohol, marijuana, opioids, when are we going to learn our lesson?” - Kevin Sabet on Dr. Phil this week Click on the video below to watch this week's Dr. Phil's segment Please consider donating to FDPS to help us continue to raise awareness about effective drug policy. Your donation to FDPS will help us participate in media opportunities, like Dr. Phil, and educate Americans who otherwise might not know about the risks of today's highly potent psychoactive substances. Your support helps us get this message out, so please consider donating to our efforts today Donate to FDPS   FOLLOW US   FDPS | 107 S. West St., Suite 757, Alexandria, VA 22314 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!