Harlem Representative Adriano Espaillat released the following statement today to address substance abuse and the national opioids crisis.
“The opioid crisis is an epidemic that has and continues to hit close to home for every community across the country. Each day, more than 115 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids. And, in the worst-case scenario predictions, experts believe that the death toll could spike to 250 people a day, which would total almost 500,000 Americans dying from overdose over the course of the next decade. These numbers are staggering and they are unacceptable,” said Rep. Espaillat.
“While we have only recently qualified this as an epidemic, the opioid crisis has been growing since the 1990s, when prescription painkillers were routinely prescribed. Today, we’ve seen increases in heroin overdoses and overdoses due to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. We can and must do better to address this public health catastrophe.
Opioid abuse has torn families apart and left children in foster care – up to 60 percent of children in the foster care system are there because of parental drug abuse.
“The most painful and difficult impact of opioid abuse are overdoses that result in death. But this epidemic has also led to substantial decreases in workforce participation. Opioid abuse has torn families apart and left children in foster care – up to 60 percent of children in the foster care system are there because of parental drug abuse. Opioid abuse will only get worse across our nation unless we actively and effectively work to implement evidence-based solutions that strike at the heart of the crisis.”
To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.
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