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| Friend, The Centers for Disease Control just released new data showing there were more than 107,000 overdose deaths last year alone, a 15% increase from 2020. It’s devastating to watch this crisis continue to claim so many of our loved ones, especially since we know it doesn’t have to be this way. Waging the drug war in our communities for more than 50 years has led to and exacerbated the overdose crisis which is only worsening year after year. Overdose deaths are preventable but will keep climbing as long as lawmakers prioritize criminalization and punishment at the expense of the solutions that actually save lives. The only way forward is to end the punitive drug war status quo and enact health approaches that are proven to reduce overdose deaths – from decriminalizing drugs to harm reduction services and overdose prevention centers to legal regulation and safer supply. Learn more about the overdose crisis, how fentanyl and misinformation is playing a role, and the solutions we are fighting for. With your support, we’ve taken steps forward and convinced the Biden Administration to embrace harm reduction as part of the National Drug Control Strategy for the first time ever. But Congress must act to fund a massive scaling up of these services – tell them to stop stalling and prioritize harm reduction and overdose prevention in the federal budget. It's also essential that Overdose Prevention Centers be implemented, which decades of evidence-based, peer-reviewed studies and utilization in over 14 countries show us are one of the most effective ways to save lives now. Since DPA helped spearhead the opening of the nation’s first overdose prevention center in New York, more than 270 overdoses have been reversed in just the first five months of operation. If lawmakers don't pursue a new approach, more and more of our friends, family, and community members will needlessly have their lives cut short. As long as you keep standing with us, we can and will force them to act.
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