The Summit on Synthetic Drugs
In partnership with the Georgetown University School of Public Health, United Against Fentanyl convenes leaders from law enforcement, public health, and policy to address an international and domestic crisis.
Hart Auditorium · Georgetown Capitol Campus, Washington, D.C.
Why this summit, and why now
The Fentanyl Crisis is entering a new phase. As illicit fentanyl supply chains adapt to pressure, a second wave of synthetic threats is taking shape: nitazenes that can be many times more potent than fentanyl, xylazine that does not respond to standard overdose reversal, and a growing class of alternative opioids engineered to stay a step ahead of regulation.
Addressing that wave requires those who care to convene. This event will bring together federal policymakers, law enforcement, public health leaders, the technology platforms where these drugs are marketed, and the families who have paid the highest price.
2:30 to 8:00 PM. Same day as Walk For Lives.
Georgetown Capitol Campus, Washington, D.C.
Closing with a strategy panel. Food and drink provided.
What we’ll be discussing
The program begins with an opening session and moves into a set of focused working conversations, each structured to be practical and grounded in real experience.
Federal Policy: Supply & Demand
Social Media & Youth Culture
International Diplomacy & Corruption
Paul E. Martin
Hosts and moderates the summit, opening the listening session and leading the closing strategy panel that guides the day’s discussions.
Featured Speakers
Richard Baum
Former Acting Director, White House ONDCP
Spent decades shaping federal supply and demand strategy as a career official at the Office of National Drug Control Policy, where he served as Acting Director. Now teaches drug policy at Georgetown.
Vanda Felbab-Brown
Senior Fellow, the Brookings Institution
A leading authority on illicit economies, drug trafficking networks, and international enforcement, advising governments on how the global drug trade actually moves.
Regina LaBelle
Director, Center on Addiction & Public Policy, Georgetown
Directs the addiction policy program at Georgetown Law’s O’Neill Institute and is a former Acting Director of ONDCP. Focuses on federal and state policy, legal frameworks, and prevention.
Harold Noriega
Founder, Coop’s Advice; bereaved-family advocate
A bereaved father who lost his son Cooper to fentanyl and founded Coop’s Advice in his memory. Advocates on prevention, social media safety, and youth culture.
Jim Crotty
Former DEA · Enforcement, Meta
Former Deputy Chief of Staff at the Drug Enforcement Administration, now leading law enforcement outreach at Meta. Works at the intersection of enforcement policy and platform safety.
Greg Gatjanis
Former Associate Director, U.S. Treasury OFAC
Former Associate Director in the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, with prior service at the DEA and the National Security Council. Focuses on sanctions and cutting off the money behind trafficking.
In partnership with the Georgetown University School of Public Health
The summit convenes at Hart Auditorium on Georgetown’s Capitol Campus in Washington, D.C., bringing academic public health expertise together with policy, enforcement, and the families at the heart of this fight.
Seats are limited. Reserve yours.
Saturday, September 26, 2026 · 2:30 to 8:00 PM · Washington, D.C.
