Addiction in Alabama

Opioid and prescription drug addiction have become a widespread public-health crisis for our state and our nation. Over-prescribing was one of the main causes for the current opioid addiction problem but now that we are slowing down the legal prescriptions of some of these pain killers, the demand has gone to black-market sources for these drugs and other drugs that provide the same stimulation.

• Our first line of defense is the schools and a strong educational program along with a system for encouraging students to help each other. This assistance should not be punitive in nature but should stress helping students get out of the addiction cycle. 
• Individuals who have been identified as having an addiction need support. They need both short term and long term support and we need to do all we can to help addicts get off of drugs and to stay off of drugs.
• Working with law enforcement, a system of anonymous monetary rewards could be offered and well-advertised to get dealers picked up and put in jail.
• We need to study the possibility of using medical marijuana to treat opioid addiction.  .  Studies have shown that marijuana is not "physically" addictive and can counter pain which is often why people became opioid addicts.