Town Hall Meeting In Southaven Talks About The Opioid Addiction Epidemic
SOUTHAVEN, Miss (localmemphis.com) – Fighting the opioid addiction epidemic brought a team of Mississippi state agencies to Southaven Tuesday.
The Opioid Town Hall Rally is part of a series making its way through the Magnolia state
According to the Desoto County Coroner, there have been around 18 or 19 opioid or heroin related deaths so far in 2017. He said in all of 2016; there were 23.
“This is not about pointing fingers. This is about working together to find the solutions. We all have to take our fair share of responsibility but also the responsibility to bring solutions to the table, and that’s our effort,” said Steve Parker, Deputy Director of the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy.
All hands on deck approach Parker stressed was just one of the focuses at Tuesday’s town hall that drew about 100 people.
In the audience were people with organizations working to tackle the growing issue of opioid addiction, people who lost someone to addiction or struggled with it themselves, and local elected officials.
Organizers shared information on what opioids are and the destruction they can cause.
For instance, a representative with the Bureau of Narcotics shared Mississippi sees an unprecedented rise in the number of pharmacy burglaries and robberies.
They drove home that opioid addiction, whether it’s prescription pills or heroin, does not discriminate. It can hit people of all backgrounds.
Many at the town hall agreed solving the problem starts with eliminating the stigma tied to addiction.
“Until we take the stigma off a that and off a mental illness we’re going to continue to have people to die. People gotta be willing to stand up and say you know I’m not ashamed to talk about this anymore I got a loved one that has a disease,” said Marshall Fisher, Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.
Filed under: General Problems
Just like there doing to doctors by containmanating jury pools,they are doing to entire smaller Towns,,,I would love to know HOW MANY OPIATEPHOBS COMMERCIALS HAVE THEY RUN IN THAT SMALL TOWN???again,,have we seen 1 commercial for us,,for the medically ill who need medicine to live life,,NO,,I SWEAR,if I ever won a lot of money,,it would go to DESTROYING THESE OPIATEPHOBS,, as they have destroyed 10,00000 of lives by denying them access to MEDICINE,, 1 st on my list would be klonodyn,,,I would put in a court of law and watch him crumble,,,and they would crumble like a house of cards,..For all these opiaTphobs are cowards,,they truly are,,,,the sneak/plotted behind close doors for MONIES,, and that,,,never ever ends well for those corrupt in their souls,,to do it for the money,,,not for humanity,,,,,,U notice there are no video’s of any of this opiatephob research anywhere,,,JUST THERE OPINION VIA INTERPRETATIONS,,OF THE NUMBERS/RESEARSCH,,,,,maryw