Political Quotes

“I thank Congresswoman Clark for organizing this really important discussion here this evening. The scope of the problem in terms of what is facing our Nation is pretty astonishing when you look at the statistics from the Centers for Disease Control. In 2004, 7,000 Americans lost their lives to heroin overdoses. Fast- forward 10 years and that number is now over 27,000. Again, the statistics land in suburban America, rural America, and urban America. But at the end of the day, behind every one of those numbers is a story of a human being and a family. That is why this discussion is so important tonight. Next to me I have a chart showing the face of Justice Kelly, who is a 21-year-old from Tolland, Connecticut. Tolland, Connecticut, is the quintessential small-town New England community. It is about 5 miles from where I live. Her mother, Jennifer, moved there hoping that this was going to be a great community to raise her child, and she went through the public school system. Battling depression, she fell victim to heroin addiction and for the last number of years has been battling this with methadone treatment in and out of facilities and programs. Last summer she really finally went to her family and just begged them to get access to a long-term rehab program. Unfortunately, the waiting lists were months. The facilities in Connecticut, like so many other parts of the country, were full.…”