What is being done to help end fentanyl crisis?

I recently watched a fentanyl awareness video circulating in our community, and I’m left with a concern I can’t ignore.

The video is powerful — emotionally. It tells stories of loss, uses music to carry the message, and leaves the viewer with a heavy sense of fear and sadness.

But after it ends, one question remains: What actually changed because of this?

We are told this is about saving lives, yet what we are shown are deaths. We are asked to feel the impact, but not shown the results.

If awareness alone were enough, we wouldn’t still be here—watching the same stories repeat.

The video makes clear that drugs are now:

• unpredictable

• widely available

• accessible through phones and delivery

If that is the reality, then we need more than emotion. We need clarity.

What is being done to reduce supply?

What enforcement actions are taking place locally?

What measurable outcomes show that this approach is working?

This is not a criticism of the intent. It is a question of effectiveness.

There is a difference between informing people and protecting them.

Right now, it feels like we are being informed—repeatedly—about what goes wrong, without being shown what is actually preventing it.

If the mission is to save lives, then show us the lives that are being saved — and how.

SAUNDRA PARK

Newport