Seattle, WA
Rantz: Seattle running out of dead body storage due to fentanyl ODs
Seattle’s fentanyl overdose disaster is so unhealthy that the King County Medical Examiner is working low on storage for lifeless our bodies. The gorgeous admission was made by Seattle-King County Public Well being Director Dr. Faisal Khan throughout a latest Board of Well being assembly.
“The Medical Examiner’s Workplace is now combating the problem of storing our bodies as a result of the fentanyl-related loss of life toll continues to climb. Clearly, they’ve finite house within the coolers they use and that house is now being exceeded regularly,” Dr. Khan admitted.
King County has already skilled over one deadly fentanyl overdose loss of life a day for the month of January, with 31 deaths as of Jan. 22, 2023. Final yr, the county recorded 1,019 deadly overdoses, with fentanyl accountable for almost all of deaths at 686. It’s the very best variety of overdose deaths the county has ever recorded.
Working low on cupboard space for lifeless addicts
Drug overdoses are straining the Medical Examiner’s sources, forcing the county to adapt to the rise in deaths. Not solely are these deaths on prime of each different loss of life dealt with by the county, however the space’s inhabitants has additionally been rising.
“We have now choices for momentary morgue surge capability when our census depend will get excessive, together with storing decedents on post-mortem gurneys and partnerships with funeral houses. We’re exploring longer-term choices for including extra capability,” a Public Well being spokesperson tells the Jason Rantz Present on KTTH.
The drug disaster has worsened significantly since Washington Democrats decriminalized medication after the state supreme court docket deemed the state’s felony possession legislation unconstitutional. Democrats had the choice of fixing one phrase within the legislation — including “knowingly” to the possession legislation — however they opted to make it a misdemeanor, which isn’t charged. Successfully, Democrats legalized medication over Republican objections.
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The disaster will worsen in 2023
Democrats present little interest in fixing their mess. Slightly than specializing in re-criminalizing medication, they’re pushing payments to broaden the provision of fentanyl testing strips. Clearly, that received’t make a dent within the deadly overdoses. However Democrats refuse to sentence drug use, claiming any judgment would stigmatize addicts and stop them from looking for remedy. Underneath the present permissive drug technique, addicts aren’t looking for remedy and homelessness is rising.
“The most important driver of those deadly overdoses includes fentanyl in white powder and in faux capsules, that are flooding the streets,” Dr. Khan famous.
The place are the medication coming from? Our open southern border and chaotic level of entries with Mexico. President Joe Biden maintains an open-border coverage, with Democrats doing nothing to tighten safety. China is sending components to provide fentanyl to Mexico, the place drug cartels manufacture and distribute the lethal drug on our streets.
Fits: Homeless deaths at report highs resulting from drug disaster
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