Q & A with Michael Carson

WASILLA- HB 138 is now in the State Senate Affairs Committee and if passed, will decree March as Alaska’s Sobriety Awareness Month. The term ‘opioid epidemic’ has become a household phrase- seeping into countless narratives across the nation, evoking action and legislation on the national stage and the Mat-Su Valley’s ongoing think tank has two main trains of thought: punishment or treatment. MyHouse Vice Chairman, Michael Carson understands why those affected by crime want to punish but he said in a recent interview that solving this problem united as a community is the only way to bring hope and redemption back and turn the tides of addiction.

What do you think will come of HB 138 (Sobriety Awareness Month)?

“I believe these are the 3 relevant reasons for a Sobriety Awareness Month;

1.) It will provide much needed ‘hope’ for those still suffering from addiction or substance abuse.

2.) It will help ‘to shatter the stigma’ around addiction that is hindering healing.

3.) And it will provide ‘shared solutions’ or identify there are many pathways to recovery.”

What about the stigma?

“I’ve had some conversations with some people that believe we shouldn’t even be administering NARCAN because those people are continuing to use. Last I checked, a dead addict can’t get into recovery.”

Where’s the disconnect?

“They don’t realize what addiction does; it’s cunning, baffling and powerful.”

What about relapse?

“We should all have the mantra: ‘we don’t shoot our wounded.’”

What are we up against?

“We had 99 opioid overdoses in 2017, one third of them were because of Fentanyl, which is 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine and heroin. When drug dealers start mixing up chemicals, they don’t have a certified lab or set of practices. It is truly a game of Russian roulette.”

It’s that powerful?

“It’s like heroine on steroids.”

So the Opioid Task Force meeting is next week, what can we expect?

“We have a lot of great speakers coming and there’s an exciting event coming up. The state’s health and social services has an office of substance abuse prevention and they have been facilitating a concept referred to as ‘Community Café.’ It provides a platform or a venue for community members to come together to talk about identifying assets in the community, liabilities, barriers, and then come up with an action plan. There have been a number of these held throughout the state already and most of them have been in the South East- Kodiak- and they are making their way up to South Central. There will be one in the Mat-Su April 17th at Pathways High School from 5 to 8 p.m. Dinner will be provided.”

That sounds like it fits well with your group here in the Mat-Su

“Yeah and we’re a little ahead compared to other communities– because of Task Force we have been doing some of this already.”

What do you think of more schools becoming Trauma-Sensitive?

“I do think the school district is moving in the right direction, I’d just like to know how far. We have a lot of youth that are suffering and I’d like to know what other steps they are taking.”

Where do we go from here?

“We’ve actually covered a lot of ground. We have to start addressing trauma, mental health, and poverty- those are the three main drivers of substance abuse. I’m convinced that it’s going to take the entire community and the entire state to solve this opioid epidemic. We’re in this for the long haul. We’re not going to solve this overnight. This is going to take commitment.”