If everybody knows that drug addiction is a significant national issue, many may still not understand the extent that it reaches into nearly every community, family, and workplace in the country.
That's the message from UNITE to Face Addiction, an advocacy group pushing for federal laws aimed at treating addiction.
On Sunday, the group plans a national rally and benefit concert (including Sheryl Crow, Steven Tyler,and other performers) on the Mall in Washington, D.C. to pressure lawmakers to take action on what it calls an "addiction crisis."
Then on Monday, October 5, citizen advocates will meet with their members of Congress as part of Advocacy Day to demand solutions to the addiction crisis.
"Advocacy Day will be a historic opportunity for over 500 citizen advocates from nearly every state in the union to demand major addiction policy change and to demonstrate that we are a constituency of consequence,” said Greg Williams, the group's co-founder.
The group is focused on three bills in particular. One, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, would provide federal funding to local efforts to combat opioid abuse.
The second, the REDEEM Act, is aimed at creating alternative and reduced sentences for non-violent offenders, particularly those convicted of drug offenses.
Finally, the group is urging federal regulatory agencies to "fully implement" all provisions of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which was passed in 2008 and expanded by the Affordable Care Act.
In one of the increasingly rare instances of bipartisan cooperation, members of Congress from across the political spectrum have voiced support for a number of policies to move drug users out of prisons.
The shock in communities across the country at the rise in prescription drug addiction and its link to heroin use has galvanized leaders of all political persuasions to push for solutions from government.
Conveniently, the growing demand for more policies (and therefore, money) aimed at heroin abuse has been accompanied by a growing indifference to marijuana use, with polls showing that most Americans now believe that cannabis should either be legalized or decriminalized.
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