February 27, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 39 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Page H1233]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                 COMBATING THE SUBSTANCE ABUSE EPIDEMIC

  (Ms. PLASKETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, the opioid crisis has had a devastating 
impact on communities throughout our country. In my conversations with 
members of law enforcement, public safety officials, and public health 
experts, it has become clear that serious reforms are necessary to 
ensure our criminal justice system effectively contributes to efforts 
to combat the substance abuse epidemic.
  The 2018 National Institute on Drug Abuse data shows that every day, 
128 people in the United States die from an overdose of opioids. The 
misuse of and addiction to opioids, including prescription pain 
relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl is a severe 
national crisis that affects public health, as well as social and 
economic welfare.
  Next month, I am going to hold a roundtable discussion on this issue 
in my district to learn best practices and ensure that our stakeholders 
stem the tide before it becomes a crisis in our community. I am going 
to use the measures that my Democratic colleagues instituted to bring 
that to our community to make sure that it does not happen in the 
Virgin Islands.

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