Email Zap: Demand Governor Hochul take action to end the overdose crisis!

On this International Overdose Awareness Day, we call on Governor Hochul to divest in systems of criminalization and harm, and to invest in lifesaving harm reduction, social services and care for people who use drugs.

The decades-long drug war has been a war on Black, brown, and poor New Yorkers. Punitive responses to drug use have not ended overdose, and in fact have exacerbated the crisis. Drug busts, and incarceration increase overdose deaths. Criminalization interrupts access to health care, and the criminalization of unhoused people leads to the destruction of encampments, which increases overdose deaths.

New York’s overdose crisis is at an all-time high, driven by an unstable supply. In New York State, we are losing 18 New Yorkers a day from preventable overdose - over 6,600 people each year. In NYC, this rate grows to a life lost every 3 hours, and overdose has remained the leading cause of death for homeless New Yorkers the past 9 years.  

This insurmountable loss is preventable. In just 18 months of operation, OnPoint's Overdose Prevention Centers have prevented over 1,000 overdose deaths, and served over 3,719 clients.  It’s clear we need a response to the overdose crisis that meets people where they are, offering harm reduction, social services, and wraparound health services.

However, Governor Hochul has stalled on authorizing overdose prevention centers, halting their expansion and ability to receive government funding. Her inaction has put our city in a precarious position in which these critical health services may be at risk of shutting down and those who rely on its services be left to fend for themselves.  We need more lifesaving OPCs across our city and state, and we need the ones that exist to be protected against legal intervention so they can continue to save the lives of our fellow New Yorkers. We demand Governor Hochul immediately authorize overdose prevention centers in New York. 

What you can do: By completing the form, you will be given a pre-written email calling on the Governor to take action to end the overdose crisis. Please feel free to add your own comments to the email body as well. When you’re done, click “Add Your Voice” to send your message.