When people become addicted to drugs, though they are the primary victims they are not the only ones affected. Addiction influences whole communities, especially in rural areas where such communities are small and funds are tight. Here in Montgomery county, in Southwest Virginia, we are not an exception.

According to a recent news report, the sheriff’s office spent over 36,000 taxpayer dollars last year on meth lab clean-ups. This is over five times the amount they spent on the issue in 2012. [Read more…]

A version of this post first appeared on Handshake 2.0.

Living in a place is about much more than the land or weather. A place is most characterized by the people who live there and the communities they form. Rural communities are far removed from the constant happenings of big cities and are small, so things that happen within them affect everyone within the community. In rural areas across the United States we have seen increasing issues with drugs and addiction, particularly methamphetamine.

We at Rural System consider the health of rural communities to be integral to land health, tied as people are to the unique ecology of rural areas. Rural System is therefore very much concerned about the rise in addictions among rural populations, recognizing them as a problem of public health. It is more important than ever for all of us to understand addiction as a national community. [Read more…]