but just when you thought it was safe to declare your local neighborhood a part of the national emergency.. SLATE counters with this:
Why Data About the Opioid Epidemic Is So Unreliable
MORE:
As staggering as those numbers are, though, there are many reasons to believe the numbers we have are unreliable. One recent study estimated that due to variations from state to state in filling out death certificates, opioid deaths may be underreported nationally as much as 24 percent. If that is true, it’s dangerous: It means that we aren’t fully grasping what is already considered an epidemic or responding appropriately. To help fight this epidemic, we need numbers that are accurate and reflective of the current moment. Community-based coalitions can have a stronger impact if they have access to timely, accurate data that reflect the situation on the ground.
ALL THAT SAID..
People say when something of such a nature touches your family, it is a national emergency. And for me? It touched my family. And probably yours. For this locale in Pennsylvania, the former great coal region of Pennsylvania, drugs have taken over the streets along with dilapidated properties and hopelessness. National emergency or not, it’s a local crisis.
And one that I don’t think a Nancy Reagan ‘don’t do drugs’ or D.A.R.E. program will solve, regardless of what the President says..
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