OPINION:
The opioid crisis continues to grow, not shrink. Resolving this radiating public health and safety crisis should matter to every American. Here is why and how we can look at this problem, with an honest eye to getting ahead of it, not continuing to fall further and further behind. We have a moral obligation to do that.
The hardest part of managing a tough moment — personal, family, local or national — is coming to grips with what is happening. National policy-makers have talked a good game, but local leaders, emergency room doctors, law enforcement and families have struggled under the weight of this crisis.
This crisis is broader and deeper than national drug crises of the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s. The numbers are shocking.
Nationally in 2016, prescription drug deaths topped at 13.3 per 100,000. In the same year, New York drug deaths reached 15.1 per 100,000. In my neck of New York, which includes Suffolk, overdose deaths involving any drug hit 17.5 per 100,000. Health care costs, law enforcement burdens, social, local and family costs track these numbers.
The trend line is worse. Since 2009, prescription drug deaths have doubled; heroin drug deaths doubled between 2012 and 2016; synthetic opioids deaths (dominated by fentanyl) increased ten-fold during that time. Costs? Collectively, they are staggering. On lagged data, the National Institutes on Drug Abuse (NIDA) place health care, crime and related societal impact from the prescription drug crisis alone at $73.5 billion. Estimated cost of illicit drug abuse is $193 billion. This number is hard to put into perspective, but reduces to $600 per individual per year in America.
The devastating impact on families is what should motivate every American. Drug abuse — this raging crisis that few want to talk about, and fewer want to roll-up-sleeves and aggressively reverse — is tearing up families.
More than 20 million Americans over age 12 now wrestle with addiction, more each year. Like a black hole, it pulls in family members — including spouses, parents, siblings and children — and peers, teachers, religious and civic leaders, anyone with a relationship to the trapped, struggling, dependent user. Families and circles of caring humanity, feel isolated, alone and without a meaningful way to understand this problem, let alone solve it.
So, what will it take to get ahead of this menace to our shared future, to heal families, individuals and communities? More than we have been doing. What is needed is creative thinking, well-targeted resources, community buy-ins and greater cooperation between medical and law enforcement authorities, and national and local political leaders — Republicans, Democrats and those with no stomach for modern politics.
In the dark of the night — and brightness of day — this is not a partisan issue; it never has been, should not be and cannot be. The drug crisis is half of a nation calling out for help, 20 million addicted, tens of thousands more dying and trapped annually, leaving distraught, often inconsolable families. Men and women of good will, good heart and sound mind need to work together to end this.
The law enforcement community is in sync and needs equal support, struggling with rising crisis-related costs and short-term options, like naloxone, re-arrest and coerced treatment. Law enforcement faces ripple effects, property and personal crime, wider distribution and trafficking. In short, the crisis is at a point where serious rethinking and a return to proper levels of funding — are required.
Where is the answer? Federal and state legislation is overdue that ramps up treatment types, availability and parallel services, like the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, which works with states to lower recidivism rates. Needed are more consistent, targeted funding streams for what is effective, a stronger linkage between providers of health care, residential treatment, outpatient services, and families.
Also needed is unparalleled, unapologetic support for law enforcement to address short-term and longer term issues, to confront and deter sources of distribution, defray rising crisis-related costs, expand training, and create more interfaces between affected families and the law.
Multi-jurisdictional tasks forces, which create synergies with vertical and horizontal information sharing should be championed. Programs with a positive record at the Department of Health and Human Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the Drug Enforcement Administration should be fully funded.
Concretely, what is missing is a stronger, bipartisan and national focus on this issue, tighter ties between federal officials — in all categories — and the cities, towns and families most affected. More and faster access to grants by Justice, Homeland Security and HHS Departments would help.
Better access by local officials and families to SAMHSA grants, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Programs, broad Office of Justice Programs as well as real-time links to leading treatment groups like the Hazelden-Betty Ford Addiction Center, National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, and other national groups with local reach is critical.
In short, we spend our time, energy, love, learning and effort on what matters most to us — our priorities. It is time to make the drug crisis — as it affects us all — one of those priorities. Working together, we can get ahead of this crisis.
• Perry Gershon was a Democratic candidate for Congress from New York. He is a businessman.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.