South Carolina has a drug problem, and many elected leaders have begun looking at how best to deal with it. In August, I also took action. My office filed a lawsuit against a company for its role in creating that problem. This lawsuit is not a magical silver bullet that will end this epidemic, and the company being sued is not solely to blame for the crisis. However, when we look at the statistics and we read the stories, we are left with the inescapable conclusion that we must take action now.

In 2016, South Carolina ranked ninth in the nation in opioid prescribing rates. Since 2011, more than 3,000 South Carolinians have died from prescription opioid overdoses. In 2015, there were more deaths in South Carolina from taking prescription opioids or heroin than there were homicides. Between 2000 and 2013, the number of babies born addicted to opioids has quadrupled. There have been more opioid

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