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We're out of euphemisms at this point: national emergency, addiction crisis, drug epidemic, "a 9/11 every three weeks." But there’s no mistaking that we’re in the midst of the biggest drug epidemic to ever hit our country – and the death toll is rising. The federal government estimates that over 600,000 Americans have heroin-associated opioid use disorder. The wave of death we’ve already experienced – losses over the next decade on par with the Civil War, or over half a million Americans – is unprecedented. Make no mistake: Ohio is at the center of this. And whether we all know it or not, Cincinnati is an epicenter community. (Navdeep Kang, 10/9)

Tackling the opioid crisis head-on is a daunting task. Innovative approaches have yielded success, but we must be careful to stop short of radical fixes, lest we exacerbate the very problem we are trying to remedy. A delegation of state legislators is going to Portugal to review its decriminalization of opioids this week. Senate President Karen Spilka, in a press release, called the trip a “unique opportunity” to gain insight into “possible solutions” for the ongoing opioid crisis, as well as discussing economic and security issues. (10/9)

Earlier this year, Gov. Tom Wolf accurately described Pennsylvania's opioid epidemic as a "state of emergency." The current addiction crisis requires all of us to respond with urgent, effective, coordinated action. Last week, the Central Pennsylvania business community increased our capabilities to help. Although many people may think of addiction as happening on our streets, it also arrives to work each day. In fact, according to the National Safety Council seven in 10 employers have been directly affected by prescription drug misuse. (George M. Book, 10/8)

While the opioid crisis is taking a hit on our nation’s small businesses, we at the committee will continue to pursue solutions that work for our nation’s small business owners and their employees. Allen likes to say that "a job is the best antidote," and I’d have to agree – that’s why small businesses like hers are so important to overcoming this terrible epidemic. (Steve Chabot, 10/8)