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Hunter Biden’s Addiction Upended His Family. Has Your Family Had Similar Woes?

His marriage fell apart as his addiction to crack cocaine deepened. The Times would like to speak with families shaken by a loved one’s drug addiction.

Hunter Biden and his wife Melissa Cohen walk toward the courthouse, both wearing dark suits. She also wears sunglasses.
Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, with his wife Melissa Cohen, arriving at court where testimony laid bare the toll his drug use took on his family.Credit...Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

Hunter Biden, the president’s son, is being tried in federal court for falsely claiming on a gun purchase application that he did not use illicit drugs. Testimony from his ex-wife and former girlfriends describe his drug-fueled temper; his search for his dealer on the streets; his large cash withdrawals from the bank.

Hallie Biden, the widow of his brother Beau who dated him during the fall of 2018 when the gun purchase took place, spoke of his erratic behavior, his possession of rocks of crack cocaine “the size of Ping-Pong balls, or bigger, maybe” and how she frantically urged him to go to rehab. She, like Mr. Biden, is in recovery.

I write about addiction for The New York Times and have spoken with countless families who have shared wrenching experiences. I’m working on an article about how the Bidens’ addiction saga is reverberating for families who are also grappling with America’s deadly addiction crisis.

To better understand evolving public views toward addiction, I would like to hear your stories. I’ll read each response and reach out if I’d like to learn more. I won’t publish any part of your response without following up and verifying your information. And I won’t share your contact information outside the Times newsroom or use it for any reason other than to get in touch with you.

Jan Hoffman is a health reporter for The Times covering drug addiction and health law. More about Jan Hoffman

See more on: President Joe Biden

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