Gov. Chris Christie deserves high marks for advocating on behalf of those who have struggled with drug addiction, including their families.
Gov. Chris Christie chose the shortest day of the year - Dec. 21 - to highlight a plague that has long held New Jersey in its grip.
At a candlelight vigil on the steps of the State House, as the late afternoon daylight faded, the governor presided over an event designed to honor survivors of drug addictions and those who work with recovering drug users.
It was a powerful statement, as well as a reminder of the tough job still ahead for 2017.
About 28,000 of our state's residents sought treatment for drug addiction last year, NJSpotlight reported after the somber gathering. About 1,200 of our neighbors died.
On the national scene, the picture as equally grim. A new study by the U.S. Surgeon General indicated that drug addiction affects one in seven Americans, but only 10 percent get the help they need. The death toll is in the hundreds of thousands.
Christie deserves high marks for advocating on victims' behalf, now and in years past.
Christie marks anniversary of addiction task force
"Addiction is not a moral failing," the governor told vigil-goers. "It is a disease - a disease that can be treated."
And he has acted on that compassionate belief, not only keeping drug addiction high on his agenda, but also convening a summit and task force in 2014 that brought together professionals, survivors and other stakeholders to search out better ways to tackle the problem.
Under his watch, local police forces have expanded the use of the antidote Narcan to counter the effects of overdoses. Christie also has encouraged the widening of needle-exchange programs beyond the five cities (Atlantic City, Camden, Jersey City, Newark and Paterson) in which they now operate.
Moreover, this summer he pledged $200,000 to help fund that exchange program, after cash-strapped operators of the program launched an online fund drive to continue their work.
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges still remains: convincing a skeptical public that the vast majority of addicts deserve support, not scorn, for an affliction that is as real - and as potentially fatal - as diabetes and heart disease.
As the governor frequently points out, addiction knows no racial or economic lines. It is an equal-opportunity destroyer of families.
"I will not stand for the idea that any soul is irredeemable," Christie said at the vigil. "Everyone has the ability to fight back from this disease, but we have to give them the tools to do it."
Let's hope the person who occupies the governor's office after the upcoming election feels the same way and shows the same commitment.
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