The Opioid Crisis

From Punishment to Care—Saving Lives, Supporting Recovery, Rebuilding Communities

Alabama’s approach to the opioid crisis—punishment over care—has failed. Incarceration doesn’t treat addiction, and criminalization only deepens the cycle of overdose, poverty, and despair. It’s time for a bold, evidence-based response that saves lives, supports recovery, and strengthens our communities.

Ryan Cagle’s plan focuses on harm reduction, treatment, and real accountability—not punishment:

• Save Lives First: Expand harm reduction programs, including equipping volunteer fire departments as first responders with lifesaving naloxone.
• Invest in Treatment That Works: Fund medication-assisted treatment (MAT) through trusted local rural health providers like Capstone.
• Decriminalize Addiction: Stop jailing people in active addiction and shift resources toward treatment instead.
• End Cash Bail for Nonviolent Drug Offenses: No one should sit in jail just because they’re poor—poverty should not be a death sentence.

This crisis won’t be solved from the top down—real change happens from the ground up. By empowering local advocates, investing in treatment, and shifting the focus from criminalization to care, we can build a future where addiction is treated as a public health issue, not a crime.

“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” - 1 Corinthians 12:26

By investing $500,000/year of the $2.5 Million generated through Land and Tax Reform we will be able to fund this type of public grassroots infrastructure, prevent needless deaths, and fight this crisis.