SUN Sailor Editions Plymouth/Wayzata | Page 4

Opinions Sun Sailor Newspapers encourages the free and open expression of ideas and opinions. To that end, we welcome letters to the editor and guest columns from members of the communit y on issues of local importance. Commentaries should be sent to [email protected] or [email protected]. P LY M O U T H / WAY Z ATA (ISSN #2640-4362) Copyright © 2019 by ECM Publishers, sailor.mnsun.com Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 • Page 4 Opioids killing our neighbors, 130 people a day After her fourth major back surgery and enough chronic pain to fell an elephant, it would have been easy for my wife to succumb to the preferred route of treat- ment: prescription painkillers. As a nurse she had seen and helped treat numerous patients who had been through similar back surgeries and she also saw how easy it was to slide into the trap of masking pain with a drug. Her solution was to avoid the drugs, accept a certain level of life- long distress and exercise her way through the rest. It has not been easy, but the alternative is a pos- sible freefall into a very dark hole. Still, it would be nearly impos- sible for anyone coming out of a surgery to not utilize some form of a pharmaceutical solution. The pain is simply too severe. It’s the weeks and months after surgery that become critical for many. Most can wean themselves off. But the addictive nature of some drugs can be overwhelming. For the past 20 years our nation has been under attack by opioids. In Minnesota alone, 422 people died in 2017 as a result of opioid overdose. That is approximately a 300 percent increase from 2003 opioid deaths, according to data from the CDC. Nationally, the numbers are S AILOR KEITH ANDERSON ECM Publishers ECM Director of News Keith Anderson can be reached at [email protected] staggering. In 2003, 12,940 peo- ple died from opioid overdose. By 2017, that number had sky- rocketed to 47,600. The illegally produced drug heroin has also become a big killer because of its availability and cost. It is often a next step for addicts when they get cut off from prescription meds. It claimed more than 15,482 lives in 2017. In 2003, 2,080 people died of heroin overdose. Natural and semisynthetic opi- oids, such as oxycodone and hy- drocodone, have long been a big problem as people have struggled with those prescription painkill- ers. In 2003, 4,867 Americans died from overdose on those drugs. By 2017, the number of Americans killed by overdose from those prescription drugs had increased to 14,495. The abuse is not restricted to certain age groups. In Minnesota, people between the ages of 25-34 represented 26 percent of the opi- oid deaths in 2017. Those between the ages of 45-54 accounted for 23 percent, while 35-44 was 20 percent, 55+ were 17 percent and those under the age of 24 stood at 13.5 percent. This is touching every demographic of our society. Still not convinced this is a serious issue? How do you feel about murder? There were 113 homicides in Minnesota in 2017. Nationally there were 17,284 re- ported homicides. As startling as those numbers may seem, they represented about one third the number of deaths from opioid overdose in the same year. If you’re like many Minneso- tans, you remember the day Prince died: April 21, 2016. He brought so much joy, energy and life to the world. Most people were stunned when they heard of his death. It seemed like the whole nation paused for a few days. For months people traveled to Paisley Park as if on a religious pilgrimage, tag- ging purple balloons, ribbons and posters to a fence, all hoping to ease their personal agony. As a community, we mourned. His death, ruled an accidental overdose of the opioid fentanyl, silenced his voice not only prema- turely, but permanently. There are hundreds of others like Prince who have died of opi- oid overdose yet their deaths go unnoticed by most of us because they are rarely identifi ed pub- licly, but they matter. They, like Prince, contributed something to this world. They were somebody’s child, brother, mother, sister, fa- ther, co-worker or grandparent. Their deaths should not evapo- rate into the haze of our hectic world. In April, we will examine the opioid epidemic in a three-part series that will be shared in this pa- per, across other APG properties in Minnesota and nationally. Our hope is to shed more light on the problem, highlight the damage it is infl icting and report on possible solutions that are being pursued. If you have something to share, whether you have been affected by it, currently struggle with opi- oid addiction or if you are part of the solution, we’d like to hear your story. With more than 47,000 an- nual deaths nationally, we can no longer ignore that warning light. The repercussions are not com- ing, they have arrived. Each day we continue to sidestep this issue we lose another 130 lives. LETTER TO THE EDITOR is published weekly by ECM Publishers, 10917 Valley View Road, Eden Prairie, MN 55344- 3730. Business, Editorial & Circulation Offi ces: 10917 Valley View Road, Eden Prairie, MN 55344-3730. Accounting Offi ce: ECM Publishers, 4095 Coon Rapids Blvd., Coon Rapids, MN 55433-2523. Call 763-712-3544 to subscribe. Periodi- cal rates paid at Hopkins, MN. Postmaster: Send address changes to Sun Sailor Plymouth Wayzata, 4095 Coon Rapids Blvd., Coon Rapids, MN 55433-2523. ECM Publishers is a division of APG, Inc. Sun Newspapers 10917 Valley View Rd., Eden Prairie, MN 55344 Offi ce hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Telephone: [phone] Circulation and delivery: 763-712-3544; [email protected] Business advertising: 952-392-6800 [email protected] Deadline: 5 p.m. Fridays Place a classifi ed: 952-392-6888 Deadline: 3 p.m. Mondays Send news items or letters to the editor to: Sun Sailor, 33 Second St. N.E., Osseo, MN 55369 [email protected] Deadline: 5 p.m. Thursdays. Include complete contact information with any editorial submission. Legal advertisements: 763-691-6001; [email protected] Deadline: 2 p.m. Thursdays Announcements: Obituaries, engage- ments, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, births, team photos. 952-392-6875. [email protected] Deadline: 5 p.m. Thursday. STAFF LISTING: Plymouth can be an example of positive change To the Editor: Scientists agree that climate change is here and a signifi cant threat to us and our children. I believe the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports on climate change (along with 97 percent of climate scientists). I have personally seen the shrinking glaciers in Glacier NP, Kenai Fjords NP, Glacier Bay NP, the Canadian Rockies and on Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The magnitude of the coming changes are very concerning. The latest IPCC report calls for signifi cant reduc- tions in CO2 in the next 10 years and elimination of CO2 emissions by 2050. CO2 emission reductions of the required magnitude will be a signifi cant chal- lenge but one I believe we must work to achieve as these are needed to provide a stable planet for our children. Given the federal government’s lack of action on climate change, we must work on what we can con- trol. Let’s focus on Plymouth and aggressively work to the do what is possible to eliminate the CO2 that will damage our children’s health, economy and se- curity. The city’s Green Steps program is a start but only a fi rst step. Let’s show the leadership we are capable of and be the example of the positive changes that can be made by a city on an issue of this magnitude. Steve Japs Plymouth Letters to the editor policy Sun Newspapers welcomes letters to the editor on local topics and issues. The dead- line for letters is 5 p.m. Thursdays, for the following Thursday’s publication. Length limit is 350 words. Letter writers will be limited to one letter every calendar month. All letters are also published online. We do not publish form letters or anonymous letters. Editors reserve the right to edit for content and length, and to not publish any letter. Writers may be asked to verify facts and provide documentation for their state- ments. We may limit the number of letters published about a candidate or issue. We do not publish election-related letters in the issue immediately prior to an election. All letters must include the letter writer’s name, address, daytime and evening phone numbers for verifi cation purposes. Send your letters to sun.sailor@ecm- inc.com. Community Editor Kristen Miller: [email protected] 763-424-7369 Community Editor Jason Jenkins: [email protected] 763-424-7380 Managing Editor Gretchen Schlosser: [email protected] 763-424-7375 Sports Editor John Sherman: [email protected] 952-392-6857 Executive Editor Mandy Froemming: [email protected] 763-424-7373 Account Executive Linda Banks (Plymouth): [email protected] 952-392-7673 Account Executive Robbie Shoemaker (Wayzata): [email protected] 952-392-6880 Advertising Director Steve Gall: [email protected] 952-392-6844 Regional President Mark Weber: [email protected] 952-392-6807 Director of News Keith Anderson: [email protected] 952-392-6847