TO THE EDITOR:
Philip Seymour Hoffman was a genius among geniuses. He was one of the most gifted actors in recent memory and his devastating death from an overdose brings a deep sense of loss to many of his fans.
His death also calls attention to the infuriating scourge of preventable overdose fatalities recently occuring along the northeast’s I-95 corridor that have been associated with fentanyl-laced heroin — all deaths that could have been prevented.
A friend in the room with Naloxone would have saved Hoffman’s life, and they do have 911 Good Samaritan legislation in New York state, so no one should have been held criminally liable if they called emergency personnel for help.
The problem is that Hoffman was alone when he died, and so these life-saving policies and services designed to prevent overdoses weren’t effective.
Until we address the stigma around injection drug use that plays such a huge role in how and where people use, and until there are ways to predict the potency and content of drugs, as well as ways to remove the life-threatening risks that come with procuring criminalized drugs, tragic losses like this and other catastrophes of the war on drugs will continue to happen.
Rest in peace, Philip Seymour Hoffman, you are loved.
Kathleen Kenny
Graduate student
Gillings School of Global Public Health
