With new addiction center, Cherokee Nation brings justice for victims of the opioid epidemic

For over two decades, the opioid epidemic has plagued the Cherokee Nation Reservation. It has affected every facet of our tribe and society. Hundreds of Cherokee Nation citizens have died from overdoses. Tens of thousands more have suffered. It caused generational trauma and put the future of our nation at risk. Nearly a third of the opioids distributed in the state in recent years were shipped into Cherokee Nation, because irresponsible drug makers and distributors preyed on the rural communities across our reservation.