During a recent press conference, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown said something that should hit home with most people in Lawrence County.

He said, “It shouldn’t be easier for an Ohioan to get opiates than to get treatment.”

According to statistics that Brown gave at that press conference, 2,500 people in Ohio died last year from opiate overdoses.

It’s no secret prescription pain pills, like oxycodone, and heroin have been a rampant problem in Lawrence County and other parts of the Tri-State.

In a measure to try to help those suffering from addiction and prevent others from become addicts, Brown recently introduced a bill called the Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Reduction Act. He said the bill would increase prevention efforts and expanded treatment access and provide support for lifelong recovery.

For those who have become addicted to opiates, or any other drug for that matter, lifelong recovery counseling is so important. Addiction is a disease that must be overcome every day. That’s why Brown’s bill is another step in the right direction in battling the drug problem that has our region in a stranglehold.