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What Happened When Portland Legalized Fentanyl

rollingstone.com · 6,894 words · saved by 1 readers

T he man at the West Burnside Street bus stop looks stone dead, sprawled out on the sidewalk with his eyes rolled back. Lucky for him, he overdosed on a weekday, just five blocks from the downtown Portland, Oregon, fire station, where the quick-response unit is on duty, and they’re on the scene in minutes. With the sangfroid of someone who has performed this ritual too many times to count, paramedic Justin de Jesus jabs the man’s shoulder with a shot of naloxone to reverse the effects of fentanyl, the hyper-potent synthetic opioid that is driving the U.S. overdose epidemic. His partner applies an oxygen mask and, slowly, the man’s breathing picks up. After a quick knuckle rub to the sternum, he stirs back to life. But this brush with death is no wake-up call. Hostage to his addiction, the man shows no gratitude. He won’t give his name and bristles when asked if he’d like more help. Before the first responders have packed up their kit, he disappears around a corner, presumably to score

T he man at the West Burnside Street bus stop looks stone dead, sprawled out on the sidewalk with his eyes rolled back. Lucky for him, he overdosed on a weekday, just five blocks from the downtown Portland , Oregon, fire station, where the quick-response unit is on duty, and they're on the scene in minutes. With the sangfroid of someone who has performed this ritual too many times to count, paramedic Justin de Jesus jabs the man's shoulder with a shot of naloxone to reverse the effects of fentanyl , the hyper-potent synthetic opioid that is driving the U.S. overdose epidemic. His partner appli

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