In order to battle addiction, a person has to confront the problem directly. That concept works not only at the individual level, but at the community level as well.

That’s why it was welcome news last week to hear President Donald Trump declare the country’s opiod crisis as a “national emergency.” Sandwiched between all the rhetoric flying back and forth about North Korea and, more recently, the protests in Charlottesville, Va., the announcement didn’t get as much attention as it might have during a more gentle news cycle.

When making the announcement, President Trump vowed to flesh out the details later of what steps his administration plans to take to address the opiod problem. We don’t know how long it will be before he circles back to that particular crisis. When he does, though, we’re hopeful Pueblo will feel the impact.

Read more at The Pueblo Chieftain.