Drug overdose deaths have reached record highs in the U.S., among teens and adults. One drug that is 50 times stronger than heroin and roughly 100 times stronger than morphine is largely responsible: illicitly-made fentanyl. What is fentanyl? Why has it become so popular? Why is fentanyl such a deadly drug? How can we protect our loved ones and better support the health of our communities? Dr. Caleb Banta-Green, Acting Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Sciences at the UW School of Medicine, and an Affiliate Professor at the UW School of Public Health, will discuss the answers to these questions and more. He is regularly quoted in national and local news media about drugs, addictions, and their impact, including most recently in The New York Times. Banta-Green is an executive sponsor of Washington State’s Opioid Overdose Response Plan and served as a Science advisor on overdose response to the director of the White House drug policy office.

A special thanks to our partners for helping us bring this event to Spokane: Providence Sacred Heart, MultiCare Spokane, Inland Northwest Behavioral Health, Spokane County Medical Society, Spokane Regional Health District, and the University of Washington Population Health Initiative.