
<p>“Don’t be ashamed you are using [fentanyl], be empowered that you are using safely,” reads an ad posted throughout New York City’s transportation system. ;</p>



<p>The ad comes from the city’s Health Department (DOH), which on its website offers addicts a free tutorial on how best to use one of the most addictive substances in the world. </p>



<p><strong>Fentanyl </strong>is a synthesized opioid 50x stronger than heroin and 100x more potent than morphine. In 2020, fentanyl was listed as the leading cause of death among Americans between the ages of 18-45. ;According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were roughly 107,600 drug overdose deaths in the US in 2021 &#8211; a 15% increase from the year previous. Of those deaths, roughly 66% involved fentanyl. ;</p>



<p><strong>As noted in NYC&#8217;s controversial ad campaign, there is an overdose death in New York roughly once every four hours.</strong> In many cases, overdose occurs when someone unwittingly uses cocaine, heroin, or meth that is laced with fentanyl. Apparently, the city&#8217;s response to this crisis is simply to encourage addicts to use these drugs as safety as possible. </p>



<p>More specifically, the DOH encourages addicts to “start with a small dose,” use test strips that can detect the present of fentanyl in other drugs, and “take turns&#8221; using with friends. The city even has plans to set up vending machines that dispense naloxone (the primary drug used to reverse opioid overdose) and clean needles. ;</p>



<p>The DOH’s shocking approach, which is a far cry from its 2019 campaign warning against the use of fentanyl and other illegal drugs, was launched in December 2021 and relaunched in early May. </p>



<p>“Why don&#8217;t we just start handing out drugs like they are condoms?” argues NYC resident Barbara Blair. “Are we literally telling people how they can consume illegal drugs?” ;Blair is head of the Garment District Alliance, which is struggling to find a solution to the ever-increasing number of drug addicts in the area. ;</p>



<p><strong>Luke Nasta, who leads a drug treatment program in Staten Island, said the new ad campaign “demonstrates a society in decline.” </strong></p>



<p>City Councilman Joe Borelli (R) compared the DOH’s concern with COVID regulations to its apparent carelessness regarding fentanyl: ;“It’s incredible that our [DOH] commissioner thinks that putting useless cloth masks on toddlers is mitigating a real danger, but when it comes to heroin it’s all ‘Take turns you guys’ and ‘Use safely, smartly.’ It&#8217;s just bizarre.”</p>



<p>Borelli sent a letter directly to the DOH asking them to withdraw the fentanyl ads and said the commissioner “seems like an ass.” He also appealed to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA): &#8220;Does the MTA support encouraging riders to ‘take turns’ using heroin?&#8221; he asked. “I mean, it literally says that. Will they remove this?” ;</p>



<p>On Twitter, Borelli slammed the city’s approach to fentanyl as the “opposite of harm reduction&#8221; and rightly claimed that it “normalizes injecting deadly life-changing drugs.” </p>



<p><strong>Sources: </strong></p>



<p><a href="https://nypost.com/2022/05/28/city-tells-junkies-not-to-be-ashamed-to-get-high/">City to junkies: Don’t be ashamed to get high ;</a></p>



<p><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/nyc-health-department-heroin-fentanyl-poster-anger-city-council-republican">NYC health department’s heroin-fentanyl poster poster sparks anger from top City Council Republican ;</a></p>

Poster in NY Subway Encourages Fentanyl Users to Feel ‘Empowered’
