Political Quotes

“I thank the majority leader for allowing me to speak briefly. I rise to talk about an issue that is affecting every State represented in this body; that is, this heroin and prescription drug epidemic. Unfortunately, opioids is an issue that is very much present in my home State of Ohio right now. We have seen over the last 48 hours, 10 overdoses in one rural county in North Central Ohio, Seneca County. We are told that already in Lucas County in the Toledo area there have been 150 overdoses in the last few weeks of this month, heading toward, unfortunately, what will be a record. This issue is affecting families, it is tearing apart families, it is affecting communities, it is causing crime. Pretty much every county in Ohio tells me that the No. 1 cause of crime now is the heroin, prescription drug, opioid issue. A lot of thefts are being reported because of it but also other crimes which result from people being torn apart from their families, from their community, from their jobs based on this addiction. I come to the floor to talk about a report that was issued today by the U.S. Surgeon General. This report is about addiction in America. I applaud the Surgeon General for putting it out there. It is an 11-page report. If you haven't had a chance to look at it yet, I hope you will. I hope it will raise awareness around our country of this issue.…”