Amy Klobuchar: “I join my colleague from West Virginia and thank her for her leadership on this work. The continuing problem of opioid…”

“I join my colleague from West Virginia and thank her for her leadership on this work. The continuing problem of opioid abuse--the epidemic that has swept our Nation--has struck at the heart of my State, like West Virginia. In my State, there were 694 deaths from opioids and other drug overdoses in 2017. That is more than the number of people who died from car crashes and homicides combined in the State of Minnesota. No matter where I go, I hear heartbreaking stories. It is not just beloved superstars like Prince whom we have lost in Minnesota; it is teenagers in Duluth and young people in our farmland, 12-year-olds. One story I heard from some people at a small town gathering was about 12-year-olds being courted by drug pushers. The drug pushers tell them to go home to their parents' medicine cabinet. They are given a list of stuff to look for and are told: If you bring one of those bottles of pills with those names on it, we will give you a beer. That is happening in my State. There is the story of Shelly Elkington's daughter, Casey Jo, who was a champion swimmer who hoped to study nursing like her mom, but in 2008, she was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. After painful complications, Casey Jo received her first prescription opioid for pain relief. As many of you know, about four out of five heroin users got their start on prescription drugs. The very pills that are supposed to ease someone's pain end up getting them hooked or, worse yet, getting them killed.…”