Expert Insights
Here’s a great example of how addiction can negatively impact a community: a large number of businesses in Long Beach, California are threatening to leave the city if drug use and drug-related crime is not addressed.
According to a local news report, customers, employees, and business owners have all come forward to say they do not feel safe walking from their cars to any destination downtown. One downtown business owner sent an email to the Downtown Long Beach Alliance, describing in detail the issues plaguing the area.
He included details of violence that broke out near his restaurant, revealed that people openly do drugs on the sidewalks and in local parks and golf courses, and he revealed large numbers of very high and very volatile people are simply wandering around and disturbing people trying to dine in his restaurant.
The Billie Jean King Main Library was even closed for a month due to public safety issues. And locals believe most of these behaviors can be traced back to drug abuse and addiction.
~ Rita Milios
Resources
- City of Long Beach. (2020, February 6). Report on Opioid-Related Addiction, Overdose and Death in Long Beach.
- County of Los Angeles Public Health – Substance Abuse Prevention and Control. (2019). Costs of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse/Abuse.
- Anxiety & Depression Association of America. (2021, October 19). Substance Use.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2020, July 13). Treatment of Co-Occurring PTSD and Substance Use Disorder in VA.
