Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, this evening I rise as the co-chair of the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic to call upon my colleagues to refocus our efforts on bringing an end to the opioid epidemic that continues to threaten communities all across New Hampshire and across this country. The opioid epidemic has grown to historic proportions. Our medical providers are struggling to keep up with the flow of overdoses entering our clinics and to secure treatment for those who need it. Our law enforcement, as first responders, have taken on the burden of responding to more and more potentially dangerous situations when a call for help comes in, and these calls are becoming more and more frequent. Statistics now show that more Americans die from drug overdoses than do in car crashes in this country. In my home State of New Hampshire, the opioid epidemic continues to grow. In 2015 alone, the total number of drug deaths in the Granite State exceeded 400, more than one per day, far surpassing the current record of fatalities set just last year at 324. There is no doubt that these numbers are staggering. But behind each and every one of these numbers is a daughter or a son, a mother or a father, a community leader or a neighbor whose life was precious and whose death has inflicted terrible pain on loved ones. For every life lost, there are also many more individuals and families whose lives have been forever changed by opioid misuse.…”