California mayor suggests addressing homelessness using fentanyl, reports media
A Southern California mayor is facing criticism after suggesting that the city of Lancaster could tackle homelessness by providing vagrants with “all the fentanyl they want,” according to the Los Angeles Times. The United States has been dealing...
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A Southern California mayor is facing criticism after suggesting that the city of Lancaster could tackle homelessness by providing vagrants with “all the fentanyl they want,” according to the Los Angeles Times. The United States has been dealing with a significant opioid crisis.
Fentanyl, originally created for managing severe pain, is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Illegally produced fentanyl has inundated the US drug market, leading to over 74,000 deaths in 2023 from drug mixtures containing the substance, as reported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This death toll nearly doubles that of motor vehicle fatalities for the same year and exceeds the number of reported homicides by more than three times.
Mayor Rex Parris sparked controversy during a February city council meeting when a resident criticized the city’s plan to deal with homelessness by relocating individuals to an abandoned golf course near homes, as reported on Sunday. During the meeting, Parris interrupted the resident, stating, “what I want to do is give them free fentanyl.” He continued, “I mean, that’s what I want to do. I want to give them all the fentanyl they want.” The resident, taken aback, responded that his comment “was not kind.”
Having served as mayor since 2008, Parris told FOX LA on Friday that he has no “regrets” regarding his comments. He clarified that he was specifically addressing unhoused individuals engaged in criminal activities who “refuse” assistance, reiterating his stance on the potent and frequently deadly opioid.
“I made it very clear I was talking about the criminal element that were let out of the prisons that have now become 40 to 45% of what’s referred to as the homeless population,” Parris explained. He added, “They are responsible for most of our robberies, most of our rapes, and at least half of our murders,” although he did not provide evidence to support these assertions.
Parris further stated that he hadn’t expected anyone to take his comments “literally,” arguing that fentanyl is “so easy” to obtain on the streets that giving it away would have no effect. “Quite frankly, I wish that the president would give us a purge. Because we do need to purge these people,” Parris concluded.
In 2013, he drew media attention for proposing the construction of a Buddhist temple to attract Chinese investment. Again, in 2018, he made headlines with a proposal to ban neckties from workplaces, citing research linking them to decreased blood flow to the brain.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
Fentanyl, originally created for managing severe pain, is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Illegally produced fentanyl has inundated the US drug market, leading to over 74,000 deaths in 2023 from drug mixtures containing the substance, as reported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This death toll nearly doubles that of motor vehicle fatalities for the same year and exceeds the number of reported homicides by more than three times.
Mayor Rex Parris sparked controversy during a February city council meeting when a resident criticized the city’s plan to deal with homelessness by relocating individuals to an abandoned golf course near homes, as reported on Sunday. During the meeting, Parris interrupted the resident, stating, “what I want to do is give them free fentanyl.” He continued, “I mean, that’s what I want to do. I want to give them all the fentanyl they want.” The resident, taken aback, responded that his comment “was not kind.”
Having served as mayor since 2008, Parris told FOX LA on Friday that he has no “regrets” regarding his comments. He clarified that he was specifically addressing unhoused individuals engaged in criminal activities who “refuse” assistance, reiterating his stance on the potent and frequently deadly opioid.
“I made it very clear I was talking about the criminal element that were let out of the prisons that have now become 40 to 45% of what’s referred to as the homeless population,” Parris explained. He added, “They are responsible for most of our robberies, most of our rapes, and at least half of our murders,” although he did not provide evidence to support these assertions.
Parris further stated that he hadn’t expected anyone to take his comments “literally,” arguing that fentanyl is “so easy” to obtain on the streets that giving it away would have no effect. “Quite frankly, I wish that the president would give us a purge. Because we do need to purge these people,” Parris concluded.
In 2013, he drew media attention for proposing the construction of a Buddhist temple to attract Chinese investment. Again, in 2018, he made headlines with a proposal to ban neckties from workplaces, citing research linking them to decreased blood flow to the brain.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
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