There is no secret that southern Ohio, eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia have a severe drug problem. But an aspect of this crippling epidemic that many often do not think about is the widespread affects these addictions have beyond the individual to their families.

Many times, leading the state in something is a good thing. However, when that is because you lead the state as the highest rate of babies born with a drug addiction, that is unsettling and something that should make us all angry.

This is our neighbor county to the west, Scioto with 76 out of 1,000 births with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). But Lawrence County was a close second at 67 out of 1,000. Add these to the recent video of an Ohio father having to tell a young boy his mother died from an overdose that went viral.

Legislators, law enforcement, health care and recovery centers have been working together to do what they can to coral this rampant disease. But until we all work as a singular unit toward ending this problem, we will just continue to throw drops of water on the fire.

This is our home, and we have to do whatever is necessary to ensure this problem becomes eradicated.