The opioid crisis has taken hold in Colorado, like other states, with devastating consequences. In 2020, we lost over 900 Coloradans last year to opioid overdoses. And our criminal justice system is feeling the impact of this epidemic, with some county sheriffs reporting that 90% of their inmates are addicted to opioids.
A few weeks ago, I joined leaders in Colorado Springs to talk about how we must respond to this crisis. This article captured our conversations there and our commitment to rectifying an injustice perpetrated by companies who pushed opioids and deceived Americans about their addictive nature. Now we are facing the daunting challenge of overcoming a crisis that is destroying lives, families, and communities.
Our office is taking action against those wrongful actors like Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family who profited from their plans to distribute these addictive drugs. We will be working hard to hold them accountable and use the funds to support drug treatment, recovery programs, and education and prevention. That’s how we can save lives and overcome this crisis.
We are now working with communities around the state to develop regional collaboratives that would receive funding from settlements and invest those funds in addressing this crisis. This work is a top priority and core to our agenda in a second term.
Thank you for helping me do this important work. Please contribute what you can to support my re-election as well as share this article with others so they know about what we are doing and why it is important.
Phil |
