Yes, we’ve got an opioid crisis. So give us some alternatives

Gov. Henry McMaster has declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency in South Carolina. He has made a commitment to education and regulating opioid prescriptions. While I agree that measures need to be taken, I believe we also should provide education, support and alternative treatment options to those living with daily and chronic pain. They are also on the front lines of this crisis.

How wonderful would it be if we could have programs, outreach events and support groups to educate, empower and bring awareness to those who want to find pain-management alternatives to opioid prescriptions and traditional treatments that do not always work.

One more person whose life is cut short from an overdose is one too many. If we don’t know someone who has succumbed to addiction, sooner or later we will. I know that I do, and I am committed to bring light to the darkness of suffering and to bring support to all those whose lives are a daily triumph of managing pain.

The State publishes a cross section of the letters we receive from South Carolinians in order to provide a forum for our community and also to allow our community to get a good look at itself, for good or bad. The letters represent the views of the letter writers, not necessarily of The State.