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. ![]() And with millions of dollars from legal settlements with opioid manufacturers and pharmacies on the way specifically for treatment and recovery, they also feel the urgency of getting things right locally, where it matters most.īut people are divided, even if not on party lines. More than a year after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared Charleston the scene of the country's “most concerning HIV outbreak" due to IV drug use, the three candidates say not enough has changed. “If we are a God-fearing state, a God-fearing country, where is God in the city of Charleston?” “There’s so much unchecked pain, and it’s exhausting,” said Griffith, a recovery coach who’s battled substance use herself. All three are running for city council in the capital city of battle-scarred West Virginia, where the devastating toll of the opioid crisis transcends party politics. Sheena Griffith encounters it on the streets she navigates with a car packed with HIV test kits and disinfectant for sanitizing syringes.Īnnie is a Republican, Solomon a Democrat and Griffith an independent. Joe Solomon finds it in the faces of those who line up in the church gyms and parking lots where he passes out overdose reversal drugs. Frank Annie sees desperation in his hospital, where 30- and 40-year-olds come in with organ failure after injecting opioids with dirty needles. ![]() Vaping devices and cartridges will also be accepted, so long as the lithium batteries are removed.Dr. 29, the DEA and local law enforcement partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches and solid forms of medication. The increase in drug overdose deaths appeared to begin prior to the COVID-19 health emergency, but accelerated significantly during the pandemic's first months.ĭuring Take Back Day on Oct. has seen an increase in overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 83,544 Americans overdosing during the 12-month period ending July 1, 2020, the most ever recorded in a 12-month period. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.Īccording to the CDC, the U.S. "Law enforcement officials are there to take these medicines and dispose of them in a way to where they do not end up in our water system, in our soils or in the hands of someone who could potentially misuse them." ![]() "Pill Take Back Day gives the community an excellent opportunity to improve the overall health of our county by properly disposing of unwanted or expired prescription medications" said Jessica Gibson, Director of Prevention Services at Behavioral Health Services of Pickens County.
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