Bladen County needs help! Parents have lost their children and our crime rate has been increasing. Why? Most would say drugs. Opioids, heroine, and their addicts are causing all the heartache.
If the mother county was a true Mother, she would be weeping, pulling all her children in close and taking action to end the madness happening in her land. She would understand the opioids, the heroine and their addicts are symptoms, not the real root of the problems.
BladenOnline.com has been reporting about the opioid crisis and the issues that come with it since 2016. Our intern, Katie Galyean, helped us first shine the light on the problems back then by interviewing officials and citizens. We started roundtable discussions, and we have seen progress in eduction and work towards ending the epidemic ailing our county.
I have seen the devastating effects of our drug problem first hand. I have lost family members and friends due to opioid overdoses. I have had friends steal from me because of their drug problems. I have witnessed families torn apart because of the addictions.
It is beyond heart breaking. If changes are not made, Bladen County will only suffer more.
My friends, Curt Vincent and Chrysta Carroll, who work at a different media outlet, published some articles about the horrible realities of our drug problems. Recently one article in their publication was, “THE LOSS OF A SON”. Brandon Owen a smart, sweet, handsome young man from Bladen County, lost his life to opioids.
This epidemic has no boundaries and causes suffering no one should have to endure. From my perspective and experience the problems are deep and wide.
People are not taught how to cope with pain, only how to mask it. I’m referring to all types of pain; physical, mental, and emotional pain are numbed with prescriptions.
The huge pharmaceutical, insurance, and local management entity/managed care organization industries pad some politicians’ and doctors’ pockets instead of offering true education and solutions. Some doctors also receive repeat business if they have patients needing monthly pain prescriptions.
A lot of the government officials have been too busy playing politics in most cases to get any real improvements made. Read the article the Washington Post and others have published on how the government has tied their own hands on cracking down on narcotics.
However, it was nice to hear the STOP Act was passed in North Carolina. Also, our local Bladen County officials have been holding meetings in the past month or so to help solve the root problems we are facing in our community.
A lot of folks turn a blind eye to the big issues of drug addictions and the impact it is having on our society. Many officials have said, “We haven’t heard anything about the opioid or drug problems in our schools or communities. We don’t have anyone we know with these type of issues.” To ignore the problem, only makes it worse.
The last item I will mention today as the cause of the problems from my view point is the lack of neighborly love. If our son or daughter was addicted to drugs would we say, “we don’t have a problem, or lock them up and throw away the key”? If our prized possessions were stolen, would we act like nothing was wrong?
The truth is, the problems with drugs are enormous. Families are loosing loved ones. Teenagers are getting hooked on these drugs in our schools. Our property is being stolen to feed these addictions. Let’s not forget employers have a hard time finding quality workers because of the epidemic.
So what needs to be done? Everyone needs to be willing to help in some way. Citizens may call politicians and voice concerns. Attendance to meetings and events to help raise awareness about the issues we are facing should be a top priority. People in positions of power should be held to a higher standard, questioned and held accountable for their actions. If they are not making progress they need to be replaced.
Elected officials, doctors, insurance companies, LME/MCO companies, agencies offering treatment for addictions, educators and law enforcement officials along with community members all need to work together for the common good to end the epidemic. May we all work together to make Bladen County as beautiful as she can be by fighting against the evil trying to cause her destruction.
Peace and Love
Charlotte Smith
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