Fixing Arkansas’ Drug Problem

Talk to friends or neighbors and chances are you’ll hear tales of someone in Pope County who has been affected by opioids, heroin, meth, or fentanyl — sad stories of parents losing kids, kids separated from parents, broken marriages, jobless dads, incarcerated mothers.  

We have a drug problem in Arkansas and it’s getting worse. In 2020, more than 500 Arkansans died from drug overdoses. Drug addiction is one of the leading causes of accidental deaths. The availability of fentanyl on the dark web has fueled a sharp rise in drug-overdose deaths that are expected to set new records this year.

Illegal drugs ruin lives, drive families into poverty, overburden health care facilities, fuel rising crime rates. It affects all who live in Arkansas. State Government must do its part to stop drug trafficking, illegal drug sales and enhance mental health services for those suffering from substance abuse.