"We need to elect leaders that will fight for people-first policies and work to build legislation that doesn’t give up on those in need," the writers say. (Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

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“Politics is not just about winning elections, it’s about changing people’s lives.”

U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone

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In Minnesota, we are experiencing an addiction and suicide epidemic across our state. We have a moral responsibility to address decades of social and economic neglect in our communities. These epidemics of alarming proportions are impacting all of us. From our coworkers, neighbors, friends and family members, we all know someone who has been touched by these diseases. Many of them are trying to navigate these issues alone due to the social stigma and the lack of accessible, lifesaving resources. Those suffering deserve to be seen and supported with the urgency required.

For too long, the issues of mental health and addiction have not been seen as the public health emergencies they are. One of the first notable voices to raise the alarm was the People’s Senator, Paul Wellstone, who made mental health a key cornerstone of his platform. While in office, Sen. Wellstone worked tirelessly to end the stigma and discrimination that was attached to mental illness and substance abuse, fighting to ensure those that needed support had access to the treatment they deserved. After his tragic death, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act was signed into federal law after a gruesome yearslong fight. This law was meant to embody the legacy of Paul and his wife, Sheila. But when this law was passed, it had no teeth in the enforcement because the influence of big money got in the way of improving these people’s lives and limiting the impact Paul and Sheila sought.

Since then, we have fought to continue Paul and Sheila’s legacy and advocate for mental health and addiction support. It took four years — and more than 300 meetings — to push back on the lobbyists and insurance companies to make sure that substance abuse treatment is covered with physical health care insurance in the Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act. Together, we have fought to build on that success with legislation to provide more resources to support those recovering, stop the criminalization of those struggling with addiction and provide better support for youth mental health.

One of the most crippling epidemics we are seeing is the opioid crisis. The opioid crisis has shattered lives — disproportionately harming communities of color in Minnesota. People in Indigenous communities are about 12 times more likely to die from a drug overdose than their white peers, and Black Minnesotans are about twice as likely. In Minneapolis, the opioid crisis has impacted the East African community at astronomical rates. These are not just alarming statistics; they are members of our community struggling with addiction and battling the stigma, often in the shadows. We must confront the root causes of this epidemic and ensure the hardest-hit communities have access to critical treatment services.

Here in Minnesota, we are thankful to have our Democratic trifecta working on legislation to combat the opioid epidemic and address mental health. In 2023, this led to funding for safe recovery sites, the provision of harm-reduction supplies and community services for those experiencing substance addiction, as well as education and connections to health care and other support systems, such as housing. We also became one of the first states to legalize paraphernalia and safe injection sites, which is proven to reduce overdose deaths, allowing those struggling with addiction to live long enough to get the treatment they need. We are already seeing the positive impacts these policies have had on our communities, with last year being the first time in five years that overdose deaths declined in Minnesota. While we have more work to do, this is what it means to put people first.

Together, we are committed to building more support for mental health and addiction recovery in Minnesota and across the country. Next year, we will work together to put in place additional solutions that will provide our communities with crucial resources and support, including a bill that will focus on addressing the impact of the crisis on young people, particularly in our most vulnerable populations.

To continue our progress and the momentum we have built, we need to elect leaders that will fight for people-first policies and work to build legislation that doesn’t give up on those in need. It is essential that we keep the Democratic trifecta here in Minnesota, elect our progressive champions in Congress, and support the Harris-Walz ticket on Nov. 5.

Join us in choosing a brighter future and changing the lives of future generations of Minnesotans.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democratic, represents Minnesota’s Fifth District in the U.S. House. Dave Wellstone is founder and CEO of Pathfinders Solutions and is a parity advocate.