Yes, sir. Thank you.
Stigma in our society is just as deadly as the drugs themselves. It's the main reason why people use alone and don't reach out for help and support. It's the main reason why people are dying as well. It's not just the drugs, but on top of that, the shame and just how you feel like such a failure. You try to go into a program and you try your best. I don't think people in our society celebrate that there are people trying, but often they're just not getting the results that they need.
The reality is that the toxic drug supply doesn't change when you're in treatment. It gets worse and worse and worse. Then when you do relapse, it's there to ambush you and kill you. We're just not going to think we're going to have this revolving door of sending people into treatment and then back and not have a harm reduction safety net underneath that. People will die. People won't get better.
As I said, although campaign slogans like “bring your loved ones home drug-free” sound appealing, the reality is that it's not the truth. That's why we have to have all systems of care that meet and support people's needs. If we do that and really do it in a way so that we do both harm reduction and recovery equally, I promise you we will reduce the number of deaths in this country.