Interview with Michael Powell about his Atlantic essay The Cities That Said Yes to Drugs. Explores the evolution and consequences of harm reduction policies, particularly focusing on Vancouver’s model and its replication in cities like Seattle. Discusses how initial intentions – reducing stigma and keeping drug users alive – have led to unintended outcomes, including increased drug-related deaths and the emergence of open-air drug markets in vulnerable neighbourhoods due to permissive policies. Highlights the tension between compassionate harm reduction and community safety, examining issues like safe supply programmes exacerbating drug dealing, the disproportionate impact on working-class areas, and the effectiveness of mandatory treatment versus merely ‘meeting people where they are’.