Election Day is tomorrow, but democracy means nothing to those who are dead.
That's why it is imperative that voters in Baltimore and beyond cast their ballots for candidates who will work on behalf of, not in opposition to, those who use drugs. A failure to do so is a failure to stand up for our most vulnerable, and one cannot afford to be complacent amid an increasingly lethal epoch for drug users.
As with any election, polling has shown that a myriad of issues are influencing how Americans vote. The rights and safety of drug users, meanwhile, rarely come up in political discourse.
However, make no mistake: As the nation continues to experience a lethal overdose crisis, it is our responsibility to keep in mind the more than 100,000 Americans who die each year — and those whose lives are at risk as we speak — when heading to the polls.
Whether someone wants to get sober or simply wants to use drugs more safely, it is incumbent upon us to demand that politicians have our neighbors in their best interests.
We must demand overdose prevention centers. We must demand historic investments in harm reduction programs. And we must demand initiatives that put an end to the health disparities that are devastating minority communities.
For more than 50 years, the war on drugs has led to draconian, ineffective policies, with interdiction and policing at the forefront of the nation's response to the ever-changing drug landscape.
We now must make it abundantly clear that these positions are untenable and undeserving of our votes.
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