United Against Fentanyl is convening its first live event in its Thought Leader Series. The International Summit on Synthetic Drugs will take place on September 25th in Washington, D.C. Leading experts from law enforcement, public health, and policy will participate.
The reality is that the narcotics landscape has shifted—and continues to shift. Alternative opioids, nitazenes, orphan drugs, veterinary sedatives such as xylazine, and kratom-derived semi-synthetic alkaloids are emerging threats that demand not only awareness, but a plan.
On the day before UAF’s flagship Walk for Lives event in Washington, D.C., we will hear from experts tracking synthetic drug supply chains, policy leaders, professionals who understand the risks of digital media, and bereaved parents who have lived the consequences of emerging drugs.
There will be significant time devoted to questions and answers.
Fully open to the public, including professionals working in this sector, the event will be contextualized for bereaved family members who will be in town for Walk for Lives—giving them the opportunity to hear from and interact with some of the leading experts on this crisis.
Participants include the following (more details forthcoming):
- Richard Baum — Former Acting Director, White House ONDCP; former Executive Director of the President’s Opioid Commission; Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University.
- Vanda Felbab-Brown — Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; one of the world’s leading experts on drug trafficking, illicit economies, and international security.
- Regina LaBelle — Director of the Center on Addiction Policy at Georgetown University and a leading expert on addiction and overdose policy. Former Acting Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
- Harold Noriega — Founder, Coop’s Advice. Harold lost his son Cooper to fentanyl poisoning and has become one of the most powerful family voices in the movement for accountability and prevention.
- Jim Crotty — Law Enforcement Outreach Manager at Meta; former Deputy Chief of Staff at the Drug Enforcement Administration; Adjunct Professor at American University’s School of Public Affairs.
Please mark your calendars for this inaugural event. Location, cost, and other details to be announced later this month.
