What We’re Not Hearing on the Fight Against Fentanyl
As families across the country experience overdoses from synthetic opioids, it is incumbent upon our society as a collective to shift the narrative and help inform communities about how we can effectively address this full-blown national crisis.
In the headlines, stories about the opioid epidemic bring attention to individual victims and spotlight heart-wrenching stories, and rightfully so. However, too often these stories neglect to advance critical policy solutions that could help stem the tide of the epidemic.
Overdose Lifeline is a national nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals, families and communities affected by substance use disorder through advocacy, education and support. Since 2014, we have been on the front lines of the opioid epidemic, helping those affected by the disease of addiction.
To support the efforts of governments, healthcare providers and community organizations in addressing this public health emergency, four key principles can better inform the public and policymakers about existing solutions.
Engage Emotions and Drive Action
With every tragedy comes an understandable desire to lean into our emotions and tell stories about victims that appeal to our collective pathos. Often, this approach helps connect wider audiences to individual tragedies and presents the opioid epidemic in more tangible, identifiable and resonant ways. In order to effectively address the crisis, these emotional appeals should be paired with factual information, statistics and a sense of optimism.
For example, sharing resources on substance use disorder treatment, access to FDA-approved opioid reversal agents and improving community responses—such as updating state standing orders to increase availability—offers tangible ways to collectively combat this epidemic.
Avoid Stereotyping or Stigmatizing Victims
Painting the picture of opioid overdose can sometimes portray victims in archetypal strokes – the athlete who became addicted to painkillers after an injury, the teenager who – through social media platforms – unwittingly purchased counterfeit narcotics tainted with fentanyl, the rising number of seniors afflicted by addiction who live in an environment that’s increasingly flooded with synthetic opioids. While very important, these stories only show one side of the coin and can have unintended consequences of diminishing the scale of the epidemic and normalizing the crisis.
Instead, we need a deeper understanding of how synthetic opioids are infiltrating drug supplies nationwide and take deliberate steps to counteract the problem, such as enhancing detection tools, expanding access to reversal agents and providing more resources to mental health providers and treatment centers.
Local Data Misses the Bigger, Systemic Picture
Only acknowledging the acute ways in which the synthetic opioid crisis affects local communities leads to a lack of understanding of the macro conditions that massively influence the problem. By linking the experiences of individual families and communities to those of other locations across the country, we can highlight commonalities and build a broad groundswell of support for proven solutions that can help us fight back against synthetic opioids.
Focus on Solutions – Especially the Ones that Merit More Attention
Some interventions and treatments that make a meaningful impact in our fight against the opioid crisis are widely understood. But there are a whole host of life-saving treatments available that often fly under the radar. For example, new nasal sprays that can mitigate fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are a lifesaving harm-reduction tool that anyone can use to combat the ongoing epidemic.
By sharing data, highlighting available tools and resources and reframing the narrative on how the synthetic opioid crisis impacts local communities, we can strengthen our nationwide efforts to end the crisis. By working together with local advocates, families of victims and news organizations, we can play a tremendously impactful role in saving lives, informing the public and healing our communities.
Justin Phillips founded Overdose Lifeline in 2014 after the death of her youngest son from a heroin overdose. She works tirelessly to help individuals, families, and communities affected by the disease of addiction and substance use disorder through advocacy, education, and support.
