In the United States, drug overdose deaths are on the rise. In 2022, CDC researchers reported that 110,236 people died from an overdose in a single 12-month period, setting a new record. Synthetic opioid overdose deaths, primarily due to fentanyl, increased nearly 7.5-fold from 2015 to 2021. In Texas, the number of fentanyl-related deaths rose dramatically — from 883 deaths in 2020 to 1,672 deaths in 2021. While Republican lawmakers in Texas have previously opposed harm reduction policies, many have signaled a desire to take policy action to combat the crisis in the 2023 legislative session.

In this episode, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, fellow Katharine Neill Harris, and fellow and former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett discuss policy approaches to the rise in fentanyl-related deaths. They explore strategies that have been successfully adopted in other states and what policies could receive support from Texas legislators.

Discussants:

• The Honorable Edward M. Emmett, Fellow in Energy and Transportation Policy, Baker Institute; Former Harris County Judge