Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out for the millions of American families who have been impacted by the opioid epidemic. Every day we hear another story of parents who have lost their child to a heroin overdose or of young children who are left behind without care as their parents struggle with addiction. In Alabama, which has the highest rate of opioid prescription use in this Nation, residents average 1.2 prescriptions per person. Mr. Speaker, this epidemic doesn't discriminate by age or income or gender. The opioid epidemic has taken from families of every background. Now, more than ever, these victims need our help. It is our job to help them find treatment not as criminals, but as patients in need of care. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful that we are finally seeing as a society that addiction is not something to be criminalized but, rather, addiction is, indeed, a public health crisis. It is not a crime. It is a chronic neurological disorder, and it does make sense for us to find help for those who need it and not to put them in jail. Unfortunately, during the 1980s and 1990s during the crack addiction, we criminalized that addiction and destroyed so many families, many of whom are in my district. But, Mr. Speaker, I am glad that we see that the opioid epidemic is, indeed, a public health crisis. I am equally glad that, Mr. Speaker, we are finally working in a bipartisan way to actually find the needed help that these families need in order to break such addictions.…”