Anti-drug group holds inaugural meeting
Robbinsville – A coalition hoping to shed light on the worsening substance problem in Graham County held its first official meeting in the Robbinsville High School gymansium on Friday.
The group included several local religious and community leaders, as well as voices from healthcare and the region’s justice system. State Sen. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin, and State Rep. Karl Gillespie, R-Franklin, also attended, as did District Attorney Ashley Welch.
Approximately 120 members of the public attended the meeting as well, many of whom had been affected in some way by the drug problem. Data discussed at the meeting shows that 11 overdoses occurred in Graham County between 2009-13. The same number have occurred in 2020-21 alone.
When asked if they had been affected by the drug issues within the past five years, nearly everyone in the gym stood up.,
“It will probably be the hardest thing that we’ve ever had to do, but we might as well try,” said Natasha McFadden, who lost her younger brother, Casey Phillips, to an overdose in March. “As Lincoln said, ‘United we stand, divided we fall.’ We’re calling on you – our leaders – to show us a way to provide the funding to make our community a safer place to live, work and save our kids.”
McFadden and other speakers said the county needed more facilities and law enforcement to help handle the number of addicts in the community, with more funds being diverted to help mitigate the issue.
“We’re facing a giant, and we need a miracle,” said Stecoah Baptist Church Pastor Rev. Mike Teem.
Teem also discussed the Celebrate Recovery program he helped run and said one of the difficulties that lead many back to substance abuse was a lack of housing in the region.
“Only God can heal our people,” Teem said. “We need leadership. As a community, let’s strive for that.”
Prior to the meeting, approximately 50 members of the community – led by Sweetgum Baptist Church Pastor Rev. Patrick O’Dell – attended the Graham County Board of Commissioners’ May 18 meeting, expressing concerns.
“Until we begin to treat addiction like we treat cancer or diabetes, nothing’s going to happen, because it is a sickness,” Corbin said. “You guys have got more going on here than in any county in the western part of the state.”
Gillespie also voiced his support, saying that he was aware of the problem and that the Graham County group was one of the most strong and sincere he had seen in his district.
“I love each and every one of you, and I will do everything that’s within my power to represent you,” Gillespie said.
The group’s next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 15.