U.S. Senator Ben Cardin participated in multiple events in Caroline County on Monday as part of his “Listen In Maryland” tour.
The purpose of the tour is to underscore connections between federal policies and Eastern Shore communities, with one stop taking place at the Christ United Methodist Church. Citizens of Caroline County are hopeful Senator Cardin can help combat the ongoing heroin and opioid epidemic, which continues to plague communities across Maryland.
At the church, Senator Cardin met with county and city leaders addressing issues like opioid addiction.
Jonathan Newell, a circuit court judge in Caroline County, says the county is seeing a trend similar to the rest of the country. The problem, according to Jewell Newell, started with prescription drug abuse and now heroin is a major issue.
He says part of the problem is a lack of healthcare resources in the county. For example, there isn’t a major hospital within Caroline County limits; however, he says there’s also an element of education. This is something Newell says a local drug and alcohol abuse council has been trying to address.
“We’ve actually had a traveling road show,” he says. “We went to every single fire department as just a local meeting in the community and we had a video and discussion afterwards and former addicts come and talk.”
According to Newell, the mobile effort lasted for about two to three weeks this year.
The council is trying to secure a national speaker to visit high schools this fall.
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