Kellen Russoniello, J.D., Public Health Director, Drug Policy Alliance, offers the history and reason for its dangers, the reduction in overdose deaths but not the reduction in overdoses, Narcan, programs that reduce drug abuse and those that failed, the very real problems of program funding cutbacks, community attitudes towards sanctioned actions, contingency and other management involvements,, new drugs coming to the users, how medical systems can better intervene, etc. September 2025