West Virginia's opioid crisis is transcending partisan politics as city council candidates from three different parties tackle the issue in the capital of Charleston
Joe Solomon, Democratic candidate for city council and co-director of the non-profit Solutions Oriented Addiction Response, stops by a syringe disposal box outside the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in Charleston, W.Va. Solomon had spent three days eating at soup kitchens and sleeping under bridges and in parking lots while interviewing residents about the changes they’d like to see in the city’s response to issues like homelessness and substance use.
But people are divided, even if not on party lines. Against CDC guidance, state and local officials voted last year to criminalize programs that give people who inject drugs clean syringes to prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis C.
Solomon, a trained social worker, co-runs the nonprofit Solutions Oriented Addiction Response. He said members of his organization felt a sense of urgency in 2020 when they began setting up tents in church parking lots and handing out sterile syringes. Pharr, who lost her brother to an overdose, said the issue is personal to a lot of people and she understands their fear.
“They’ve never had more money in the history of money in this city, and you could make the case that there’s never been more stigma in the history of stigma,” said Solomon. “How bad does the pain have to get until the city says we need to have a vision for a city of mercy, for a city of solutions?”“Sometimes it feels like they live in a very different reality than what’s really going on, or they choose not to acknowledge it,” he said.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Manchin: Biden's coal comments are 'divorced from reality'West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin criticized President Biden for being “cavalier” and “divorced from reality” after vowing to shutter coal-fired power plants. Manchin said Biden's words “ignore the severe economic pain” for people from higher energy prices.
Read more »
Lawsuit alleges Facebook helped 'radicalize' Charleston church gunmanThe family of one of the victims in a racially-motivated attack at a Black South Carolina church in 2015 has sued Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, alleging that the social media platform helped 'radicalize' the shooter.
Read more »
21 Savage Disses Mase and Charleston White On 'Her Loss' Album21 Savage doesn't appear on the 'Her Loss' album nearly as much as Drake ... but the Slaughter Gang rapper still maximized his greasy talk over the bubbly R&B production.
Read more »
Prince Edward Will Be in Northern Virginia This Weekend - WashingtonianThe idea of Prince Edward stopping into a country club in suburban Northern Virginia might seem a little peculiar. But after you do some digging, it actually makes sense.
Read more »
Virginia small business sounds off on inflation, anticipates ‘a lot of trouble’ this holiday seasonA family-owned small business in central Virginia tells FOX Business inflation has been detrimental to their livelihood and has forced them to raise the price on their goods.
Read more »