In 2017, 48,000 opioid deaths. Higher rate than peak of AIDS epidemic. 2235 deaths in PA in 2016; tripling of overall death rate from 2012
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Jess is doing issue-centered town halls in the closing days of the election. The opioid crisis seems to couple in complex ways with both supply and economic declinepic.twitter.com/E8zWUA4C3g
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The incumbent said in the recent debate that it’s ludicrous to hold pharmaceutical companies culpable. Audience here laughs. Much of his campaign funding is from big pharma
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Dr Martin stresses the need for broad access to health care to have any chance of getting people off opioids. It takes six months for dopamine response to go back to normal after quitting. That requires sustained access to care
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Also: CDC and NIH are chronically underfunded; we badly need research into managing long term pain. Pharmaceutical companies should pitch in to pay for this
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Nice stat in a discussion of campaign finance: average member of Congress spends 30 hours a week after being elected fundraising. Citizens United has pushed costs of running way up across the board
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Average congressional race now costs something like 1.5M—that money spent on anything else in the district would have an enormous impact
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Comment from a student, who is going to be a teacher. Her car loan is 3%; her private student loans (80,000) are at 9%. Her 11 year old students ask her about student debt
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Jess reminds audience that the average member of Congress is a millionaire, a statistic that J.D. also brings up at town halls. We’ve seen this year how hard it is for a non wealthy person to run
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