Bernie Sanders: What I learned in high school ... last week

By Commentary
Nov 29 2017, 7:05 PM
Editor’s note: This commentary is by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.


Excerpt:

In Washington, I sit on the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, which hears from some of the most knowledgeable people in this country on all kinds of matters relating to health care and education. But on this issue of opioid and heroin addiction, and on the question of why so many young people are turning to drugs and how we can prevent that, I believe our nation’s young people might know more than the experts.

These young people know first-hand what it’s like to live in a family where a parent struggles with addiction. They know from personal experience what kind of pressure exists when your best friends are experimenting with pills and ask you to join in. They might also know, if they injured themselves or had their wisdom teeth removed, how tempting it could be to keep taking painkillers prescribed by a doctor, even when the physical pain subsides. They certainly know better than older generations what it’s like to be growing up in today’s crazy and rapidly changing world. And, perhaps most tragically, they know how common it can be to struggle with anxiety or even depression – a growing problem for young people.

In their questions and comments, what I heard from these high school students was truly insightful. Many of them talked about looking for ways to fight stigma, to make it clear that it is OK to confide in each other about personal and family problems and that one not need to be embarrassed to ask for professional help. They talked about how important it is for people struggling with addiction to not only have access to treatment, but have their recovery supported when they came back home. They wanted to understand why health insurance companies are willing to pay for expensive prescription opioids, but refuse to cover other options like acupuncture and yoga, or mental health care.

If I learned one thing from talking with and listening to these students, it’s that they do know the dangers of heroin and other opioids. They know that these drugs can destroy their lives, and the lives of the people they love. But I also learned that they want and need constructive alternatives. And that, as adults, is our job.

https://vtdigger.org/2017/11/29/bernie-sanders-learned-high-school-last-week/#.Wh_QqNWnHrc