Interview: U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance on Alabama’s Heroin Problem

Rachel Osier Lindley | June 9, 2014

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Heroin use is on the rise across the country, including Alabama. Since 2012, heroin overdoses have killed more than 150 people in Birmingham and surrounding suburbs. And that number continues to rise.

A community summit Tuesday at UAB examines the numerous complicated issues surrounding heroin addiction and abuse. The keynote speaker is U.S. Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole.

For more on the growing heroin problem in Northern Alabama, WBHM’s Rachel Osier Lindley spoke with U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance. Vance discusses the path to heroin addiction and law enforcement’s efforts to stop the drug from spreading.

The heroin summit is Tuesday, June 10 at the UAB National Alumni Society House from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The summit is open to the public. It’s a project of UAB’s School of Public Health, the Jefferson County Department of Public Health and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Alabama.

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The Gulf States Newsroom is hiring a Community Engagement Producer

The Gulf States Newsroom is seeking a curious, creative and collaborative professional to work with our regional team to build up engaged journalism efforts.

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This year looked to be different for lottery and gambling legislation, which has fallen short for years in the Alabama legislature. But this week, with only a handful of meeting days left, competing House and Senate proposals were sent to a conference committee to work out differences.