In the latest episode ofLast Week Tonight,John Olivertalks about how drug overdoses in the U.S. have been rising and what could be done to prevent that. This weekend, the late-night show aired concurrently with the Academy Awards broadcast — and for those who missed the show, it is worth going back to watch. Oliver puts forth a solid argument about what can be done to mitigate the harm caused by recreational drug use.
From the beginning of his take on the topic, Oliver asserts what should be common sense to everyone: drugs can be dangerous. To drive home this point, he brings up a news report that presented statistics showing that drugs kill more than guns in America. Street drugs have become highly contaminated, which causes an increase in overdose deaths. One of the most concerning aspects, as Oliver describes, has to do with the illegal manufacture of synthetic drugs like fentanyl, which are the root cause for nearly two-thirds of all overdose deaths.
The host acknowledges just how grave the problem is concerning drug overdoses. However, this all leads to his main point; there are myths and misconceptions about drug users that date from decades back and have led to the creation of policies that permit the use of extreme and unnecessary measures to deal with these issues. For years, there has been rampant fear-mongering associated with drug use. According to Oliver’s argument, drugs should not be treated like “bioweapons” or anything that would warrant a “militarized response.”
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Fentanyl is indeed dangerous, but the police response to it can sometimes be just as lethal. Contrary to what has been alleged by some deputies, Oliver explains that it is not possible to passively enter into contact with the synthetic drug and risk overdosing. One would need to actively consume it; it would not be enough to touch it, nor would you be likely to accidentally inhale it. The host calls it “deeply irresponsible” to keep perpetuating an exaggerated narrative that has no medical foundation, which can cause people to be afraid of helping out someone who’s experiencing symptoms of an overdose. To help people with their drug problems, Oliver defends overdose prevention centers, which are places that allow supervised drug use and give access to sanitized supplies. These are statistically proven to prevent users from overdosing.
As Oliver explains towards the end, punishing people into abstinence is not the way to go. We should not alienate or disconnect people going through addiction, which is an actual mental illness and should be treated as any other illness. As Oliver concludes the segment, he summarizes what should be done and how we can all help mitigate this issue:
“We all need to get on board here. Our ingrained stigmas around drugs and the people who use them run really deep. And if we actually want to minimize deaths and keep people safe, the facts point in a very clear direction: we need to meet people where they are, help them transition into safe drug use to stay alive, and remove barriers for those seeking addiction treatment. And what we absolutely need to stop doing is spreading misinformation and warehousing drug users in prisons. Or, to say it more succinctly: it is well past time to start paying attention to the man behind the curtain.”
