Several packages containing drugs, possibly laced with fentanyl, displayed on a bed. (U.S. District Court of Rhode Island)
BLUE CITY DA SAYS REPEAT DRUG OFFENDERS 'WILL NOT RESPECT THE LAW' UNDER CURRENT SYSTEM
"I fail to see, however, the harm that’s being reduced by distributing supplies such as pipes and foil that are used to consume deadly drugs like meth and fentanyl," Nelson said during a Nov. 16 budget committee meeting. "To me, it feels like it’s giving a loaded gun to somebody who is suicidal."
Seattle isn’t the only city taking such steps to scale back how it distributes "safe" drug supplies to its community.
Earlier in 2025, San Francisco unveiled a new policy that would require individuals to receive treatment counseling — or be connected with such services to receive treatment options — before receiving any drug use supplies from the city or city-funded programs. Additionally, the new policy barred providing these supplies in public spaces.
The Seattle skyline is pictured from a Washington State Ferry in Seattle, Washington. (Jason Redmond/Reuters )
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Although both Washington’s King County, which includes Seattle, and San Francisco had fewer drug overdose deaths in 2024 than in 2023, the numbers for both cities are higher in comparison to 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
For example, 635 people died due to accidental drug overdoses in 2024 in San Francisco — down from the 810 that died in 2023, but up from the 441 that died in 2019, according to the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Drug overdose deaths are also down nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in February a nearly 24% decline in drug overdose deaths in fiscal year 2024, in comparison to the previous fiscal year.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has taken an aggressive approach to combat the influx of drugs into the U.S. For example, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in December designating illicit fentanyl a "weapon of mass destruction."
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/blue-cities-u-turn-distributing-drug-supplies-addicts-after-progressive-policies-fail-stem-epidemic