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Your Call

The troubling rise of drug overdose deaths in San Francisco

On this edition of Your Call's Media Roundtable, we discuss the rise of drug overdose deaths in San Francisco. In the first quarter of this year, 268 people have died from accidental overdoses, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Earlier this month, California Governor Gavin Newsom deployed the National Guard and California Highway Patrol onto San Francisco's streets to crack down on drugs by going after dealers. San Francisco Public Press reports that relying on law enforcement to address the city’s drug crisis has distressed public defense attorneys and harm reduction advocates who fear the move may worsen the rate of fatal overdoses.

Guest:

Sylvie Sturm, award-winning journalist, contributor to the Civic podcast from the San Francisco Public Press, and lecturer at San Francisco State University

Web Resources:

San Francisco Public Press: Military-Style Drug War in Tenderloin Sparks Fears That More Drug Users Could Overdose

The San Francisco Chronicle: 66 people died in April in San Francisco from accidental overdoses

Malihe Razazan is the senior producer of KALW's daily call-in program, Your Call.
Rose Aguilar has been the host of Your Call since 2006. She became a regular media roundtable guest in 2001. In 2019, the San Francisco Press Club named Your Call the best public affairs program. In 2017, The Nation named it the most valuable local radio show.