‘Preventable deaths’: Kansas City mayor tackles drug crisis with first-ever ‘Fentanyl Summit’
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas speaks during a Fentanyl Summit at the Kansas City Health Department on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, in Kansas City. - Emily Curiel/ecuriel@kcstar.com/Kansas City Star/Emily Curiel/ecuriel@kcstar.com

Mayor Quinton Lucas held a “Fentanyl Summit” Friday afternoon at the Kansas City Health Department to raise awareness on the city’s fentanyl and opioid crisis. Health officials, law enforcement and families had a public discussion to tackle the epidemic of opioid and fentanyl related-deaths. During a press conference after the event, the mayor categorized the issue of drug overdoses in the city as an “epidemic” driven by fentanyl. Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported there were 109,698 overdose deaths in 2022. As previously reported by The Star, Kansas Cit...