Brian Mann

What I was hearing from people using drugs on the street, talking to frontline harm reduction people, listening to people in Washington looking at this, they were saying this feels different. The carnage feels like it's easing. Suddenly, there was a shift.

What I was hearing from people using drugs on the street, talking to frontline harm reduction people, listening to people in Washington looking at this, they were saying this feels different. The carnage feels like it's easing. Suddenly, there was a shift.

What I was hearing from people using drugs on the street, talking to frontline harm reduction people, listening to people in Washington looking at this, they were saying this feels different. The carnage feels like it's easing. Suddenly, there was a shift.

This is a science fiction level event, like never before. in the history of America's drug crisis, and this goes even back before the pain pill crisis of the 90s, go back to heroin, go back to crack cocaine, we've never solved a drug epidemic in the way that these numbers suggest.

This is a science fiction level event, like never before. in the history of America's drug crisis, and this goes even back before the pain pill crisis of the 90s, go back to heroin, go back to crack cocaine, we've never solved a drug epidemic in the way that these numbers suggest.

This is a science fiction level event, like never before. in the history of America's drug crisis, and this goes even back before the pain pill crisis of the 90s, go back to heroin, go back to crack cocaine, we've never solved a drug epidemic in the way that these numbers suggest.

The best interventions with everybody throwing everything at the problem sometimes can ease the problem by eight, nine percent. We're now seeing states where drug deaths are dropping 50 percent in a single year, 30 percent, 40 percent is now common. That level of decline, so many lives being saved.

The best interventions with everybody throwing everything at the problem sometimes can ease the problem by eight, nine percent. We're now seeing states where drug deaths are dropping 50 percent in a single year, 30 percent, 40 percent is now common. That level of decline, so many lives being saved.

The best interventions with everybody throwing everything at the problem sometimes can ease the problem by eight, nine percent. We're now seeing states where drug deaths are dropping 50 percent in a single year, 30 percent, 40 percent is now common. That level of decline, so many lives being saved.

Okay. So I want to talk about the hopeful, happy parts in just a second. But let me begin with some of the maybe darker reasons this could be happening. So one thing is that a lot of people have died, Scott. I mean, this has been bad. Like, this has been terrifying. 114,000 people in one year, 110,000 in another year. So a lot of the most vulnerable people are gone.

Okay. So I want to talk about the hopeful, happy parts in just a second. But let me begin with some of the maybe darker reasons this could be happening. So one thing is that a lot of people have died, Scott. I mean, this has been bad. Like, this has been terrifying. 114,000 people in one year, 110,000 in another year. So a lot of the most vulnerable people are gone.

Okay. So I want to talk about the hopeful, happy parts in just a second. But let me begin with some of the maybe darker reasons this could be happening. So one thing is that a lot of people have died, Scott. I mean, this has been bad. Like, this has been terrifying. 114,000 people in one year, 110,000 in another year. So a lot of the most vulnerable people are gone.

And that's certainly some part of it. Another thing that's happening is that people on the streets regularly tell me that they've learned how to use fentanyl, this really dangerous drug, more safely. Not safely. I don't want to sugarcoat this again, but they're better. They don't use it as carelessly as they used to.

And that's certainly some part of it. Another thing that's happening is that people on the streets regularly tell me that they've learned how to use fentanyl, this really dangerous drug, more safely. Not safely. I don't want to sugarcoat this again, but they're better. They don't use it as carelessly as they used to.

And that's certainly some part of it. Another thing that's happening is that people on the streets regularly tell me that they've learned how to use fentanyl, this really dangerous drug, more safely. Not safely. I don't want to sugarcoat this again, but they're better. They don't use it as carelessly as they used to.

And so some people who are still in very severe, very unhealthy addiction to this toxic drug are surviving. They're living longer. And that is a good thing because it means they have more chances to recover, more chances to get out of this cycle. I don't want to say that they've recovered or they're healthy or they're off the street. They're still in a really dark place.

And so some people who are still in very severe, very unhealthy addiction to this toxic drug are surviving. They're living longer. And that is a good thing because it means they have more chances to recover, more chances to get out of this cycle. I don't want to say that they've recovered or they're healthy or they're off the street. They're still in a really dark place.

And so some people who are still in very severe, very unhealthy addiction to this toxic drug are surviving. They're living longer. And that is a good thing because it means they have more chances to recover, more chances to get out of this cycle. I don't want to say that they've recovered or they're healthy or they're off the street. They're still in a really dark place.

Yeah, and I think the data here is really strong, that we have seen one of the most effective public policy responses to a health crisis in U.S. history, right? So what the Biden administration did, they came in after a year when drug deaths had spiked 30%. That's what happened in the last year of the Trump administration.

Yeah, and I think the data here is really strong, that we have seen one of the most effective public policy responses to a health crisis in U.S. history, right? So what the Biden administration did, they came in after a year when drug deaths had spiked 30%. That's what happened in the last year of the Trump administration.