The fentanyl crisis is hitting young people hard, and the highest death rates are in Native American communities. The Cherokee Nation is working to help young families recover.
released as part of opioid lawsuits show Native American towns like Tahlequah were swamped with prescription opioids.
Brenda Barnett and her son, Ryan, members of the Cherokee Nation, say opioids nearly destroyed their family after Ryan became addicted to pain pills, heroin and fentanyl. But they're hopeful for his recovery and the tribe's future.Brenda Barnett and her son, Ryan, members of the Cherokee Nation, say opioids nearly destroyed their family after Ryan became addicted to pain pills, heroin and fentanyl. But they're hopeful for his recovery and the tribe's future.
"The suffering would have continued, our inability to directly provide care would have been very limited. And now that's completely changed," he said. She lost custody of her children and spent time in prison during an 11-year struggle with opioid addiction that begin with a pain pill prescription. The tribal hospital now offers buprenorphine, a medication that helps people with opioid addiction avoid relapses. Roughly 400 Cherokee are getting treatment.
Principal Chief Hoskin notes only a handful of drug company executives have been prosecuted for pushing opioid sales long after addiction rates soared. Brenda Barnett says she hopes the Cherokee Nation will emerge as a model for how communities across the U.S. respond to the opioid-fentanyl crisis.
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