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The war on drugs has had devastating effects on the Black community in the District of Columbia and the country. This so-called “war” has impacted the Black community in devastating ways: an escalation in overdose rates, the weakening of families, the death of loved ones, and mass incarceration.

In December 19, a group of 125 researchers, harm reduction workers, doctors and other experts sent a letter to the Washington, DC Council, urging it to decriminalize drug possession. Removing criminal penalties and investing in harm reduction, the experts say, will reduce overdose deaths in the District.

New arrest data shows that Black D.C. residents are arrested almost seven times as often as white residents for opioid-related offenses, which advocates say bolsters their case for decriminalization and the need to move funds away from policing and into safe-use resources.

After decades of the war on drugs, the outcomes have been punishment, incarceration, the worst fatal overdose rates on record, and lingering penalties that inhibit people from living a healthy and stable life

D.C. recorded 29 non-fatal overdoses in a 48-hour period last week, marking another concerning spike in the city’s ongoing opioid crisis.

D.C. must do more to save lives. We are undoubtedly experiencing a serious public health emergency that requires a shift in the status quo of relying...

As a former police officer with the D.C. police, I’ve seen the fallout of the “war on drugs” and tough-on-crime policies.

Eclipsed by the coronavirus’s pervasive impact, however, is another ongoing public health emergency that has received even fewer resources to adequately address it: overdose fatalities.