Candlelight vigil helps raise awareness about growing problem of addiction in Gloucester County

Drug addiction is a growing problem across the world. It has been affecting the lives of countless people. The effects and consequences of addiction are so dangerous that it can even take one’s life. Due to this, efforts are made to raise awareness and put an end to this problem. In Gloucester County, Candlelight vigil helps raise awareness about the growing problem of addiction in Gloucester County.

Family and friends gathered at James G. Atkins Park on Tuesday to honor loved ones at the fourth annual Candlelight Vigil to recognize International Overdose Awareness Day. The park was a sea of purple, the color which is used to symbolize Overdose Awareness. This event was created by the Gloucester County Freeholders along with the Gloucester County Addictions Task Force and included representatives from area hospitals, recovery housing services and grief counselors talking about services they can provide.

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“I read an article about the heroin overdose problem in Monroe Township, specifically how it was around 25 times the national average,” said Freeholder Jim Jefferson. “After that, we decided we had to so more to help people. So, we just called together people from all walks of life to try and address all the different ways this touches Gloucester County.”

The vigil brought together people who have been affected by addiction so they could find help or support through those going through the same situation or through resources they might not be able to find on their own.

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Drug deaths in England and Wales at highest level since records began, figures show

The most unfortunate thing that could happen as a result of drug addiction would be death- the lost lives. But in spite of so many cases of drug-related deaths, it is a sad reality that still, so many people choose to use drugs and put their lives in danger. In fact, drug deaths in England and Wales are at their highest level since record began.

Drug deaths in England and Wales have hit a record high, with around 56 people now dying every week from illicit substances, new figures show. Ministers have been accused of “clinging to their failing policies on drugs” after data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed there were 4,359 deaths related to drug poisoning last year, the highest number since records began in 1993.

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Campaigners said the rising rates were “avoidable” and accused ministers of taking an approach that was too focused on law enforcement, while also presiding over cuts to local authority budgets which they said undermined the ability to deliver effective drug treatment services.

The Independent revealed last month that the number of live-in drug and alcohol rehabilitation services in England had fallen by a third in six years, prompting concerns that as budgets fall, councils are sending fewer people to lifesaving residential rehabilitation centres.

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Drug crackdown launched in notorious San Francisco district

Rampant drug use is everywhere. In fact, drugs are one of the most pressing problems that the world faces at this present time. With this, it is very important to strengthen efforts to put an end to this problem. In San Francisco, just like in other parts of the world, they too are trying their best to solve their drug problem and to save more lives from ending as victims.

Seventeen federal law enforcement agencies are teaming up for a yearlong crackdown on a notorious area of San Francisco crawling with rampant drug use and “smothered by lawlessness,” a federal prosecutor said Wednesday. The government is arresting drug traffickers in the Tenderloin neighbourhood, near the city’s downtown, as the first step in cleaning up a roughly 50-block area long plagued by poverty and where open drug use has been tolerated for years, U.S. Attorney David Anderson said.

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The crackdown comes as California has become more tolerant of casual drug use after voters reduced penalties for possession of cocaine, heroin and opiates in 2014 and legalized marijuana in 2016. It also comes as San Francisco Mayor London Breed and the elected supervisor for the area have pledged to target flagrant drug dealing.

But San Francisco also strongly opposes federal immigration sweeps, and immigration agents are among those joining the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service and others in the effort. And while city officials know the Tenderloin is a problem, they’re torn on how to address drug dealing and drug addiction, with some saying the city shouldn’t waste resources going after low-level offenders and criminalizing homelessness.

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