I'm Brian Rare on WNYC.

October, as you may know, is substance abuse awareness month.

The issue of substance abuse, particularly a fentanyl, has become alarmingly prevalent

in our city.

Last month, we were all shocked by the devastating death of one-year-old Nicholas Domenici, the

child, along with two others, was exposed to fentanyl stored under the mats used for

nap time at a Bronx daycare center where the incident took place.

Now this is not an isolated incident, even though it's an extreme example.

Just a block from an elementary school in the Bronx, another fentanyl operation was

recently unearthed, a stark reminder of the drug's pervasive presence in our communities.

The unsettling reality is that in 2022, New York City witnessed a record-breaking 3,026

overdose deaths.

It's clear the war on drugs has faltered, leaving us grappling for effective solutions.

One solution that activists and some politicians are calling for is the protection and expansion

of overdose prevention centers in New York.

First all, an advocate for this cause was Ryan Carson, a name many might recognize from

the tragic circumstances of his death last week, which has been in the news.

Maybe you've even seen the viral footage of his murder broadcast on local news or seen

it online or heard the descriptions of how he died in the arms of his girlfriend.

Instead of focusing on that, however, we thought we would highlight his work on this issue.

In 2021, as a founder of the NOOD New York Group, Carson ran a campaign in which he walked

from city hall, downtown Manhattan, obviously, up to Albany, and then all the way to Buffalo

...