The article depicts Shannon Clancy, an overdose prevention lead at Southside Harm Reduction Services, as she navigates the overdose crisis impacting Minnesota. After speaking with a concerned caller about a friend with a serious leg wound possibly due to fentanyl laced with Xylazine, Clancy emphasizes the need for medical attention despite the caller's fear of judgment from clinics. With overdose deaths rising alarmingly in Minnesota—from 636 to 1272 in just five years—the piece illustrates the personal and social challenges faced by individuals in the ongoing opioid epidemic.
Clancy's encounter is an all-too-familiar scene for those on the front lines of America's harm reduction movement. The overdose epidemic now kills more than 100,000 Americans annually, touching the lives of 40 percent of the population and disproportionately impacting people along class and racial lines.
The recent increases in lethality and harm are a part of the third wave of the opioid epidemic, which began in 2013 and is lethal in ways often unseen to the public.
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