Right now there is a growing epidemic devastating a nation. It’s a sickness that kills someone every 12 minutes, claiming tens of thousands of lives every year. Many who survive are left feeling weak and struggling for help. It has particularly ravaged small towns, and rural communities where there is little economic opportunity and limited health resources.
Many children have lost their parents, and many moms and dads lay awake at night thinking about how to keep their kids safe from this sweeping health crisis. People are left wondering, “How did this happen? Will anybody help?”
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If you are picturing an underdeveloped country in another part of the world, you are way off the mark. The epidemic I’m referring to is addiction, and the country is the United States of America.
In 2014 almost 2 million people were addicted to, or abusing opiate-based drugs. Every twenty-five minutes a baby is born who was exposed to drugs during pregnancy and in 2014, drug overdoses killed more people than the number of American combat losses in the Vietnam War. For more perspective, more people now die from drugs each year than are killed in motor vehicle accidents.
Drugs have particularly devastated rural areas like my home state of West Virginia. Sadly, many of those who start abusing at a young age are unable to kick their addiction as it spirals out of control. According to a study, West Virginia had the highest rate of drug overdose deaths in the country, 12.56 per 100,000 youth, almost double the national average. Overdoses are not the only problem. Substance abuse can cost people their jobs, their homes, and create family strife.
Drugs are not prejudice against anyone as they break through all socio-economic barriers. Very few families are spared from the tight grip of addiction. To further understand the magnitude and the breadth of this problem, consider reading “Dreamland” by Sam Quinones or “American Pain,” by John Temple. These two books really help capture the totality of this issue.
This cannot be solved on an individual level. Instead, it is an epidemic that must be confronted with a national effort to defeat it, so that more people can build a bright future and live the American Dream. Fortunately, it is not too late to win this battle.
Congress took action last year and passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016, to help strengthen prevention, treatment, and drug education programs so that we can turn the tide and reverse this heartbreaking problem before more lives are taken. The legislation:
- Protects minors from drug traffickers
- Creates new grant programs to prevent overdoses
- Reauthorizes and strengthens programs to aid pregnant women or women in postpartum
- Provides information and resources to youth athletes on the dangers of opioid abuse
This legislation was passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Obama in July 2016. This was just a first step, but much more work needs to be done. We must implement a multi-faceted approach that focuses on education, prevention, treatment and enforcement.
Combating opioid abuse is a bipartisan issue that all of us can unite behind. That is why it was very encouraging to participate in a working lunch recently at the White House with President Trump, Vice President Pence, and other top administration officials. It’s clear the Trump administration is committed to solving this problem.
We also need to increase coordination between local, state, and federal officials. After meeting with the DEA last year, they announced that a Tactical Diversion Squad (TDS) would be coming to Clarksburg, W.Va., to work with local law enforcement to crack down on those who are trafficking drugs. Our office has also been advocating for the Surgeon General to play a more vocal role in educating the public on this issue and find ways to expand access to treatment, especially in rural areas.
These are not permanent solutions to the problem we face. However, they are important steps that can protect our friends, neighbors and family members from the dangers that drugs present and ultimately, save lives. We’re making progress but we need to keep it going. Fighting addiction is a battle we must win and the responsibility to see it through belongs to each and every one of us.
Congressman David B. McKinley represents West Virginia’s 1st District
The views expressed by this author are their own and are not the views of The Hill.
