Who Can End the Fentanyl Crisis?

Fentanyl is an urgent and evolving crisis in Philadelphia. That’s what my co-author Darren Stocker and I wrote in a recent book chapter tracing the history of the synthetic opioid, which was documented in the heroin supply in Philadelphia in 2006 after an unexplained increase in overdoses. Over the next decade, despite short-term law enforcement successes, fentanyl became entrenched in the city, especially in Kensington, and it was clear new ideas were needed.

The question was, where would those solutions come from? That’s what I ask in my research: Who is responsible for community safety and well-being? In Philadelphia starting in 2016, responsibility for addressing the fentanyl crisis fell almost entirely on the public health sector and harm-reduction strategies that could not ultimately stem the flow of the drug or address its effects on the community. Since 2024, Philadelphia has pursued a multi-pronged strategy that pairs law enforcement with the public health sector, two groups that don’t traditionally work together. It’s too soon to say if this novel approach  will work, but it could provide a brighter future for Philadelphia and a new model for community safety and well-being.