The Fentanyl Crisis in the Homeless Community

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Similar to the 1980’s with the crack epidemic and the 1990’s with the opioid epidemic, we are currently seeing a fentanyl epidemic and crisis in the entirely of the United States of America. Fentanyl is an opioid drug that was approved by the FDA for use as an anesthetic and pain relief drug. Due to it being roughly 100 times more potent than drugs like morphine, a much smaller dose is required to achieve the desired effect; it should only be administered by a licensed doctor or nurse in a hospital. It only takes a dose of 2 milligrams for the drug to have fatal effects and result in overdose or death. That dose is depicted above in a photo that is courtesy of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Fentanyl is often times laced in other drugs such as heroin which can be a death sentence if someone is not aware that it’s laced.

In Portland, Oregon, there were roughly 20,000 people experiencing homelessness in 2023. Of that astonishing amount, research suggests that roughly 1/3 of the homeless population struggle with drug or alcohol addiction. This is an issue that touches the hearts of many of Portland’s citizens considering they can see the devastating effects of homelessness and drug addiction right outside their front door. These human beings that are experiencing a terrible struggle have to endure many hardships purely based on the fact that they are without shelters. Including the threat of fentanyl and the lack of available treatment and their situation becomes even more dire.

CNN published an article as of January 31st, 2024, written by Amy Simonson and Lauren Mascarenhas. The article details that Oregon leaders have decided to declare a state of emergency in downtown Portland, lasting for 90 days. The cause of this state of emergency is none other than the fentanyl crisis. The article mentions that even with the decriminalization of opioids such as fentanyl, the overdose related deaths have been steadily increasing. The hopes for Measure 110 (decriminalization of some hard drugs) was to open the road to providing addiction treatment and reduce the number of overdoses. In 2021, nearly 70,000 people had died from a fentanyl overdose in America. Oregon leaders hope that this state of emergency allows the city to allocate resources to set up treatment centers and housing services.

The city of Portland has seen and heard the local government authorities make countless promises to help homeless people and their families, unfortunately, they fail to deliver on most of those promises. The fentanyl crisis is not something that the city of Portland or the entire country can ignore without devasting effects. If thorough action is not taken to help these individuals struggling with addiction, the city of Portland will have failed those people, and their deaths will be on the city’s hands. If you are passionate about this topic and wish to contribute to the solution, please reach out to local representatives and essentially annoy them. They cannot ignore the residents of Portland if we all come together as a unified force and demand that they take an actionable path to helping these people. Below are some resources you can use to voice your concerns or learn more about this issue.

https://www.portland.gov/wheeler/fentanyl-emergency

Rep. Maxine Dexter: (503) 986-1433

Mayor Ted Wheeler: mayorwheeler@portlandoregon.gov

City Complaints/Concerns: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/27447?category_id=74

 

Cited Sources:

Photo courtesy of the Drug Enforcement Agency

“Fentanyl.” DEA, www.dea.gov/factsheets/fentanyl. Accessed 8 Feb. 2024.

“Homelessness Statistics.” Resources RSS, 12 Feb. 2016, www.portlandoregon.gov/toolkit/article/562207.

Mosel, Stacy. “Substance Abuse and Homelessness: Statistics and Rehab Treatment.” American Addiction Centers, 3 Jan. 2024, americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/homeless.

Simonson, Amy, and Lauren Mascarenhas. “Oregon Governor and Local Leaders Declare 90-Day Fentanyl State of Emergencies for Downtown Portland.” CNN, Cable News Network, 31 Jan. 2024, www.cnn.com/2024/01/31/us/fentanyl-crisis-portland-state-of-emergency/index.html.

Swordfisk, Katy. “Portland State Releases 2023 Oregon Statewide Homelessness Report.” Portland State Releases 2023 Oregon Statewide Homelessness Report | Portland State University, 2 Feb. 2024, www.pdx.edu/research/human-resources/news/portland-state-releases-2023-oregon-statewide-homelessness-report.

“What Is a Lethal Dose of Fentanyl?” Addiction Resource, 16 Nov. 2023, www.addictionresource.net/lethal-doses/fentanyl/.

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