The pandemic isn't over. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street with the point.

Drug overdose was the eighth leading cause of death in the United States last year,

according to the Center for Disease Control. From May 2020 to April 2021, an estimated 100,000

Americans died from an overdose. That's a 30% increase over the years before.

Officials believe that this year might even be worse.

Experts point to a few things that explain this deadly spy, including the flooding of the

drug market by the extremely potent and dangerous synthetic opioid fentanyl. But the pandemic

lockdowns also have to share in the blame. Not only was the social isolation harmful to the

mental health of many, but the lockdowns and the often illogical restrictions

on medical care hindered addiction treatment. The drug epidemic isn't fun to debate on Twitter. It's

not just another political football. It's an emergency. The church has to step in quickly,

not just to help our neighbors who might be struggling, but to advocate on their behalf to our

leaders. This is the pandemic that's not waning.

We have to pay attention.

I'm John Stone Street.