5-13 NWR
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) heads to Central Oregon this weekend to hold town hall meetings in Jefferson, Deschutes, and Wheeler counties. During the events, Walden will provide an update on his latest work in Congress to solve problems in Central Oregon, as well as take questions from attendees. A full schedule is below.
Walden gave this update on legislation being considered by the House to combat drug addiction in local communities. The Congressman is rightfully concerned about rural drug abuse and had this to say before his colleagues: "This is a very important bipartisan step forward to combat opioid abuse. This issue hits close to home. All of our homes. The state of Oregon ranked near the top or at the top for non-medical use of prescription pain relievers in the nation. With opioid prescriptions serving as a gateway to heroin, it's no surprise the deaths from drug overdoses have surpassed those of car accidents in my state."
Last week, Walden held roundtable meetings with physicians, members of the law enforcement community, and families impacted by drug addiction to discuss how to combat the opioid epidemic in Oregon and across the country.
Walden will also give an update on a proposal to protect Crooked River Ranch from wildfire by adjusting the boundary of the adjacent Wilderness Study Area. The plan seeks to better facilitate fire prevention activities on the land and reduce the risk for catastrophic fire. For a copy of the bill, please click here. This week, the House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on Walden's plan, a major step forward for the legislation in the U.S. House.
in a tragically related story, reported by CNN comes this news from the state of Washington. Fatal accidents involving stoned drivers have soared in the state of Washington since marijuana was legalized there, according to a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. But it's difficult to determine whether a high-on-pot driver is too impaired to drive, according to a separate study from the same group.
