I’ve been fortunate, very fortunate, in my life. Neither I nor my family have been influenced by drugs. But I’ve found, after decades of talking and writing to you, that I was mistaken. You are all my family. And if you have a problem, we all have a problem. Now is the time to address it. As a family.

Hopefully you were able to attend last week’s forum “Communities in Crisis: The Opioid Epidemic Hits Home” at the Mason County Middle School. If not, let me recap:

The evening featured a panel of heavy hitters (Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy Executive Director Van Ingram, Maysville Chief of Police Ron Rice, Buffalo Trace District Health Department Executive Director Allison Adams, County Attorney for Mason County John Estill, Licensed Clinical Psychologist Dr. Jeff Drury, Mason County Coroner David Lawrence and Addiction Treatment Professional Brad Tolle) tackling the 800-pound gorilla in the city: how to stem the tide of opioid addiction and related deaths in our area.

Presented by The Ledger Independent, Comprehend and WFTM Radio, the discussion covered topics ranging from local efforts in stemming the crisis to the evolving role of law enforcement in the age of Narcan.

This get-together was more than a hand wringing rehash of what we already know. An opioid crisis. Yes, we have one. What do we do about it? Here is where the solution begins.

This meeting was a call to action. As Allison Adams said, we need to destigmatize addiction. Van Ingram agreed, saying we must be a recovery friendly community.

If our friend breaks their arm, we sign their cast wishing for a speedy recovery, don’t we? So why on God’s green Earth do we not afford the same attention and sympathy toward someone fighting the disease of addiction?

Did you know the highest overdose rates are for people between 45 and 54 years of age? Not exactly the picture of an addict one imagines. And the problem is as much white collar as blue collar or no collar. Unlike a lot of things and people, drugs do not discriminate.

Put yourself in the shoes of one speaker at the forum who, while walking, found a syringe on the ground. Here in town. For her, that was when the reality of the drug problem hit home.

From recovered addicts to advocates in action, last week’s assembly brought up problems and proposed solutions. The panelists were wonderful. One’s answer to an audience question brought up another point from a fellow panelist. It was interesting to watch representatives from each agency build upon each other’s thoughts, forming the chain that will one day bind the monster that is opioid addiction.

A huge contingent of Facebook Live viewers sent in a lot of great questions. Comprehend Executive Director Dr. Pamela Vaught described the multiple resources available for addicts in need. As Ledger Publisher Rod Baker said at the beginning of the evening, this gathering was only the beginning. A task force is being created to formulate a comprehensive plan to address it.

There are so many groups who have put their heart and soul into finding a solution already. The foundation is set. Now it is up to us all to build on the work of those before us and put the final nail in the coffin of opioid addiction.

Keep an eye on these pages, Bat-Fans. Details on how you can help are coming soon.

https://maysville-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_Roe.jpg

Robert Roe