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