America’s Deadly Drug Crisis Demands Moral Courage

There are staggering statistics of America’s drug abuse crisis that can appear sterile but the reality is human brokenness, family heartbreak, and shattered communities.

A man is consoled as paramedics take him to the hospital for what is thought to be an overdose of K2 or "Spice," a synthetic marijuana drug, along a street in East Harlem in New York City on Aug. 28, 2015. New York, along with other cities, is experiencing a deadly epidemic of synthetic marijuana usage including varieties known as K2 which can cause extreme reactions in some users. According to New York's health department, more than 120 people visited an emergency room in the city in just one week in April. While the state banned the ingredients used to make K2 in 2012, distributors have switched to other ingredients and names in an attempt to circumvent the law. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

There are staggering statistics of America’s drug abuse crisis that can appear sterile but the reality is human brokenness, family heartbreak, and shattered communities.

Opiods alone are killing nearly as many Americans as guns or auto accidents, an estimated 28,647 a year, or 78 people a day.

The drug crisis is fueled not only by dope pushers but also by doctors too easily prescribing painkillers and by the public ignorance regarding abuse, addiction, and deadly consequences.

America's drug abuse scourge is inflicting unimaginable heartbreak on communities, families, and individuals.