America, kick this deadly habit

M

anhattan: I read “Trump declares public health emergency in response to national opioid epidemic” (Oct. 27) with great joy that the President has ramped up his punitive response in this time of great urgency. As a former drug addict and activist who has fought the war on drugs for many years, I applaud him for putting national attention to a problem that is destroying our great nation.

The next move Trump should take: create very harsh laws that will punish drug sellers who sell fentanyl-laced drugs. I lost a close friend I use to share drugs with who died from using heroin that contained this poison. We need to strongly and aggressively address this crisis, and this health emergency is a first step in saving many lives and solving the current opioid crisis. Anthony Papa, Drug Policy Alliance Houston: Although the pharmaceutical companies are well aware of the drugs they are marketing, they are not completely at fault for the opioid epidemic — and the sharers of blame should be considered before suing Big Pharma companies. The opioid epidemic begins with patients receiving drugs from health-care professionals, whether this be to stabilize acute or chronic pain. Medical providers can be enticed to prescribe certain medications to patients through gifts received from Big Pharma companies, but at the end of the day, the health-care provider is the one prescribing the medication and the insurance companies are assisting with payment while being aware of associated risks. There is also the chance that patients are typically prescribed more medication than needed and either keep the leftover pills to self-medicate or create opportunity for them to get into the hands of the wrong person. Soniya Raju

The silent majority

Brooklyn: Does anyone ever investigate all those de Blasio supporters, like myself, who expected, and received, no favors when he was elected? Most of us donated and worked for him because he was, and is again, the best candidate in the field.

Jerome Krase

The fix is in

Nantucket, Mass.: The U.S. Senate voted to protect banks, credit card issuers and other financial companies from class action suits. As a conservative-independent, I was utterly dismayed by this. Settling an egregious matter with a bank is a very expensive exercise in futility for an individual. Been there, done that. Very few if any law firms will litigate an individual client’s complaint on speculation, anticipating the plaintiff’s win. Class actions were often the only viable recourse to seek damages for bank malfeasance. This legislation gives aid and comfort to the financial arena to further abuse consumers with impunity.

Michael Velsmid

Be part of the solution

Albany: I feel sorry for the football players who do not stand up for the national anthem. They make quite a lot of money but they do not donate to the poor or work with both sides to help.

Anthony Portanova

Trigger happy

Manhattan: With its hand over its heart, the National Rifle Association is fighting for Second Amendment rights — your God-given right to own a gun. This enables you to: help Harrison Ford fight enemy aliens who come around your home; shoot anyone who gets up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom because you think the person is a burglar; and respond to a crazed gunperson in a dark, crowded movie theater by opening fire, hitting nearly everyone and everything, including your own big toe. Carol F. Yost

Shooting blanks

Bronx: Voicer Arlene Jurewicz is running her mouth without getting the facts straight. President Obama called for stricter gun-control laws, but of course, all he got was opposition. As a matter of fact, your current President praised Obama after Sandy Hook and declared he would help with getting the laws passed. Please stop writing to the Voice of the People until you know what you are talking about.

Andrea Bush

The money pit

Bronx: The controversy around prosecutorial decisions by Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance in cases involving attorneys who made large contributions to his re-election campaign shows yet again why New York State’s woefully inadequate campaign finance laws must be reformed (“Cy Vance open to reforming campaign contribution system,” Oct. 26). The absurdly large contribution limits, far in excess of what federal and city law would allow, create appearances that harm honest and honorable officials. Hopefully Vance’s view that this situation is “helpful and clarifying” will be recognized by the Albany lawmakers who need to fix this bad system and their own collective reputation. John Siegal

The con con is a con

Highland, N.Y.: Do our legislators need an extra $79,500? The constitutional convention will allow legislators to get exactly that: 204 delegate salaries will cost taxpayers $16,218,000. Historically, many of delegates have been our very own state politicians. During the last convention, four out of five delegates were career politicians and Albany insiders. Proponents claim this is an opportunity to have a voice and clean up Albany, but we can’t afford to be fooled. This convention is an extravagant party where corporate special interests will spend unlimited money to make sure that every politician who runs gets a delegate seat. Eileen Lundgren Manhattan: “In no rush to speed buses” (Oct. 21) mentioned how Select Bus Service routes are speedy. But I never see anyone mentioning that this comes at a price: The local buses have been cut back drastically. They are often used by old and disabled people who can’t easily walk from the select stops to a street they want to reach. These people sit and sit waiting for a local bus and watch all the select buses go by. It’s a slap in the face and mean. All so that some people can save five minutes. S. D. Rosenbaum

Cancer sticks

Staten Island: Gov. Cuomo visiting Staten Island to discuss the high cancer rates in the borough is a great step forward. Staten Island has the highest smoking rate in the city at 17.4%, which seems to be coupled with the high rate of cancer. Comprehensive tobacco control policies work and are proven effective to reduce smoking rates and encourage individuals to quit.

Ashley Zanatta

Against prohibition

Potsdam, N.Y.: The MTA may have decided to prohibit alcohol ads in its buses and subways with the best of intentions, but the assumptions on which its decision is based are completely erroneous. Seeing alcohol ads does not cause young people to begin drinking or to drink more. Prof. Don Schultz of Northwestern University, who has authored 18 books and more than 100 research papers on advertising and marketing, reports that the theory that advertising leads young people to drink alcohol is inconsistent with “decades of very sophisticated advertising, marketing communication, and consumer behavior research.” A well-meaning but completely misguided effort is no reason to forego $2.5 million per year.

David J. Hanson Professor Emeritus of Sociology State University of New York

at Potsdam

Dog days of winter

Huntington Station, L.I.: Re “Newsflash: The Iditarod is dog abuse” (Op-Ed, Oct. 25): Thank you for yet another reminder that “Iditarod” and “idiotic” go handin-hand. As a runner, I can appreciate the joy of racing and pushing your body to compete. But I’m also well aware that there are limits to what the body can endure, human and canine both. Isn’t it time we ended this outdated and inhumane race?

Rebecca Lemaitre

Lost in translation

Bronx: I was reading Voicer Ardina Cerra’s letter responding to Voicer Carmelo Burgos and suddenly I had to stop when I got to where she wrote: “Americans resent that they have to press ‘1’ for English and ‘2’ for Spanish.” Doesn’t she know that citizens from the continents of North America and South America are American citizens?

Dadnie Borrás

The Daily Pravda

GETTY Valley Stream, L.I.: Why doesn’t the Daily News just drop the “news” part of its name? After all, possibly the biggest scandal since Watergate — revelations about the Obama administration helping the Russians obtain American uranium — didn’t get a single mention in the Oct. 26 paper. Could it be that you all just can’t stand the thought of publishing anything to tarnish the names of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama? Richard Heeman