A public hearing is to be held Wednesday by the New York State Senate regarding the opioid crisis during the pandemic.
The hearing was announced by Democratic lawmakers after statistics showed a large increase in overdoses and deaths that clearly align with the onset of the pandemic.
Officials and advocates see the increase as alarming, and attribute the drug use to losing important family connections plus the incredible amounts of stress the pandemic caused.
Many people lost their jobs, were unable to pay rent, and suffered anxiety and depression due to the pandemic, and those already struggling may have turned to drugs to cope.
The hearing’s goal is to understand the state’s death rates and find gaps in the system to close.
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