One unfortunate and under-addressed aspect of human trafficking is the use of drugs by traffickers to control and exploit vulnerable populations. Data shows that drug use and human trafficking are intrinsically connected and, in the midst of the current opioid epidemic, we are seeing criminals across the country use this connection to their advantage.

That is why the National Center on Sexual Exploitation is endorsing the new Protecting Rights of Those Exploited by Coercive Trafficking (PROTECT) Act of 2019.