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Crosscurrents is our award-winning radio news magazine, broadcasting Mondays through Thursdays at 11 a.m. on 91.7 FM. We make joyful, informative stories that engage people across the economic, social, and cultural divides in our community. Listen to full episodes at kalw.org/crosscurrents

The Progressive Prosecutor Pt. 6: The Drug Overdose Crisis

A significant percentage of drug overdose deaths in 2020 occurred in the Tenderloin
Ken Lund
A significant percentage of drug overdose deaths in 2020 occurred in the Tenderloin

Nearly 700 people died from drug overdoses in San Francisco in 2020. That’s more than the number of people who died from COVID-19 in San Francisco in the same year. Some people blame San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin for not being tough enough on the people selling drugs. In this installment of The Progressive Prosecutor, we look at the role of prosecutors in the opioid epidemic.

UPDATE:  The D.A.'s office recently proposed $2.3 million for the creation of a fentanyl task force in its non-binding budget priorities for this fiscal year and next.
 

Sending everyone to prison for as long as possible hasn't worked. We've tried it, and I refuse to double down on the failures of the war on drugs.

Click the play button above to listen to this story.

"The Progressive Prosecutor" is a series looking at San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin's first year in office. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.

The series was co-produced in collaboration with by Alice Woelfle, Christopher Egusa, and Sona Avakian. It was engineered by James Rowlands and Gabe Grabin, edited by David Boyer

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