USA First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff

Dear Mrs. McMaster,
My name is Roberta Vining. I’m a wife, mother of 4, grandmother of 4 and a pharmacist
for over 35 years by profession. The purpose of my letter is to ask you to help us place a
Memorial Wall for SC victims of the drug epidemic either in or on the grounds of the
Capitol Building. I’m sure you are aware of the alarming CDC statistics recently released
showing that in 2022 drugs claimed over 100,000 lives in America. South Carolina’s
portion of that number is over 2200 and rising. More than ⅔ of these deaths are from
fentanyl poisonings, a deadly synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin and 100
times more than morphine. There are newer and more potent drugs that have made their
way to SC that do not even respond to opioid reversal from Naloxone. In fact, a
pharmacist colleague of mine who operates a toxicology lab, informed me that it is almost
impossible to keep up with identifying these substances because the new lethal “designer
drugs” are made and distributed so quickly. We are at a pivotal point, and I believe it is
critical that we bring awareness to every unsuspecting child, parent and SC resident
about the dangers of the drug epidemic.
I personally lost my youngest son, Seth, to fentanyl poisoning in 2019. At 23 years old,
Seth was a highly functioning and successful young man, college student, UPS
supervisor, soccer athlete and talented guitar player in our church praise band. Our family,
like many others, had no prior history of any substance use and we were searching for
help. Even as a pharmacist, I wasn’t aware of the resources we needed to find help for
our son. We have become passionate about sharing Seth’s story and know that there is
much work to be done. Seth would tell you that too!
I believe awareness of the drug epidemic begins with getting the word out! Using every
platform possible is crucial to get the attention of those who aren’t aware or have never
taken the time to educate themselves about the dangers of drug abuse and substance
use disorders. I proudly serve as a board member for the Taylor Watford Foundation. We
bring about awareness to help fight substance abuse and support positive mental health.
Our motto is “giving hope to life”. I believe time is of the essence to continue to increase
awareness because this epidemic is affecting every family in SC in some way!
Mrs. McMaster, never in our nation’s history have we had such a deadly drug battle to
fight. I believe it is our responsibility to lead the charge and stand against those
perpetrating the destruction of our children. The lives of our youth depend on it! Most of
the victims of this horrible epidemic did not overdose, but were poisoned by a fake
substance (fentanyl, xylazine, etc) in place of what they thought they were taking. Just
one dose that resulted in death and never-ending grief for those they left behind.
863