By Daniel Corona

Opioids aren't a new drug, and heroin certainly isn't new to the streets of communities across the country.

However, what was once a group of drugs that were only prescribed to terminal patients to ease their transition has now become a drug easier to get than birth control in some states. This change seemingly occurred overnight with no real justification from medical providers and certainly not from those who are manufacturing these drugs and convincing providers to prescribe them by marketing them as wonder drugs.

In 2016, here in Nevada providers wrote 83 prescriptions for every 100 people. In many rural counties, there were more prescriptions written for patients than there were people in the county. This has not been by accident. When providers over-prescribe, the number of folks who grow dependent on these drugs goes up. In turn, the pharmaceutical companies are able to continue to enjoy record profits.

Given our transient population, West Wendover has been hit particularly hard by this crisis. It is nearly impossible to find a person in our community who hasn't had a friend or family member who has struggled with addiction to opioids.

Many of those suffering from opioid dependence/addiction got their first taste of these drugs after being prescribed them by a doctor following an injury or surgery. Once their prescriptions ran out many who became dependent turned to heroin, which gives the same high at a fraction of the cost.

The crisis has gotten so out of hand that it's rare for a day to go by without finding a hypodermic needle on the floor of one of our five casinos or even in our public park. Medical calls for overdoses and drug-related arrests have also skyrocketed in the last few years which in turn is stretching our police officers and first responders thin.

Since I became mayor in 2016 I have been working with City Council members and staff to seek solutions to address this crisis. One of the first steps is to work with our court to ensure that addiction is viewed as an illness and not a crime while at the same time going after drug traffickers and dealers who are preying on the vulnerable in our community.

This includes the pharmaceutical companies who have been pushing for overprescribing and have been reckless in their actions. That is why I recently asked my City Council to retain the law firm Eglet Prince for the purpose of pursuing a lawsuit against those companies and manufacturers.

The council agreed that the time has come to hold these folks accountable and voted unanimously to retain Eglet Prince. I am proud that they decided to take this step in joining Clark County, Reno, North Las Vegas, Lincoln County, Mineral County, Carson City and Churchill County to be on the forefront of this issue.

I urge all local leaders in the state to look at the work being done in our communities and to join us in holding these companies accountable.

Daniel Corona is the mayor of West Wendover.