To the editor:

According to Ms. Stefanik, the opioid cross has had “devastating impacts on the North Country.” As a constituent who lost a brother this year to that very crisis, I could not agree more.

While reviewing the congresswoman’s Opioid Task Force agenda, I did not once see the word “drug addict.” And yet, she pointedly used that slur in a recent tweet, in an attempt to disparage her frequent target, Gov. Cuomo, who was attempting to protect our vulnerable group populations.

How is it that a member of the bipartisan Opioid Task Force could use such a label as “drug addict”? These are human beings, with full lives, family histories and people who love them. My brother suffered a long disease of substance abuse. He fought like hell for himself and his daughter. He was a good and kind man, with a strong work ethic and a sense of humor. If the congresswoman insists on the diminution of our loved ones, if she minimizes their worth and pushes them to the back of the line, deeming them unworthy, how can she possibly be the steward of the very task force designed to protect them?

My brother is no longer here. But in his memory, I say this: The congresswoman’s lack of empathy is on full display. She has disqualified herself for the position of power she finds herself. Our family members deserve better. We deserve better.

Kristen Handler

Porter Corners