OPINION: It's Time to Call the Opioid Crisis What It Is: A National Emergency

Americans were rightfully outraged when almost 3,000 Americans were killed on 9-11 and another 6,000 injured. As a nation, we declared war in Afghanistan and have suffered more than 2,200 killed and over 20,000 injured. We value life in our country, and we do not turn a blind eye when our citizens are killed and harmed. That is why the President was correct in August 2017 when he declared the opioid crisis a national health emergency. The CDC reported that there were 70,237 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2017.