Opioid overdose deaths continue to spike across the country, as substance abusers and drug treatment providers struggle to adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Milwaukee, a new and powerful synthetic opioid, known as iso, is responsible for at least seven recent deaths as overdose fatalities increase across Wisconsin. And in Philadelphia, where overdoses are also on the rise, there are renewed calls to open a safe injection site in the city. After winning court approval, a safe site was supposed to have opened in Philadelphia earlier this year but the effort foundered due to neighborhood opposition. The site, which would have been the first in the United States, would have allowed individuals who shoot up opioids to do so in a secure environment, with medical staff on hand in the event of an overdose. The Rosenthal Center supports safe sites as pilot projects, but with an emphasis on ensuring those who use the site have opportunities and encouragement to enter treatment.
And finally, victim activists are not giving up the fight to hold Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family responsible for the nationwide opioid epidemic. Activist groups are now navigating the complex legal terrain of bankruptcy court, as the company fends off attempts to hold the Sackler family accountable as part of national opioid litigation. Those who have suffered deserve compensation, along with a financial settlement equal to the scale of the tragedy and loss of life that must be directed to expanding access to treatment.