Kara Lofton Published

Presidential Hopeful Elizabeth Warren Talks Tackling Opioids at Epicenter of Epidemic

U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren speaks to a crowd in Kermit, West Virginia on Friday, May 10, 2019.

Senator Elizabeth Warren spoke to a crowd of about 150 people in Mingo County Friday. The Democratic presidential candidate mostly spoke to the opioid epidemic, rather than her campaign agenda.

 

Warren spoke at the fire station in the small town of Kermit. She focused on her plan to tackle the opioid crisis.

“Do you realize across this country they have a less than one in five chance to be able to get the medical treatment that they need?” Warren asked the crowd.

Warren said she proposed funding better treatment and prevention options by implementing an ultra-millionaires tax on the richest 75,000 families in the United States.

“Congressman Cummings from Baltimore, Maryland and I have just introduced a bill to put in $100 billion in funding over the next 10 years to meet this crisis head on and to wipe it out,” she said.

The town of Kermit has been called the epicenter of the opioid epidemic after a Charleston Gazette-Mail investigation found that more than 3 million prescription opioids had been shipped to a single pharmacy in the town of only 400 people over the course of 10 months.

Outside the fire station, a small pro-Trump group held signs and cheered when passing cars honked their support. One woman sporting a Trump sign and lapel pen said she believes that Trump has kept every promise he has made to the people of West Virginia and that Warren is using Kermit for political gain.