A personal tale of two choices, and when the hardest decision is the honorable one.

The neighborhood’s afflictions date to the early 1970s, when industry left and the drug trade took hold. With each new wave of drugs, the situation grows grimmer. Now, with the arrival of xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer, new complications are burdening an already overtaxed system.

More than 46 million Americans live in rural communities. On average, rural locales lag behind non-rural communities on every measure of prosperity, from poverty rates to employment opportunities.

The opioid crisis has taken the lives of thousands of people in our country. In fact, according to the CDC, opioid overdose deaths hit...