Republican candidate for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, Caroleene Dobson, is calling attention to comments made by former State Sen. Dick Brewbaker, her opponent in an upcoming April 16 runoff election.

Her campaign said Brewbaker has a pattern of “downplaying” the opioid crisis in Alabama, citing a volley of comments made during his time in office.

“Like so many career politicians, 20-year office holder Dick Brewbaker was guilty of the triple threat of bad judgement, misplaced priorities, and a complete lack of understanding when he flippantly said that the comfort of incarcerated felons was more important than protecting families and communities from the threat of fentanyl and the opioid crisis,” spokesman Drew Dickson said.

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“I am certain that the parents, families, and friends who lost loved ones to opioid addiction do not agree that ensuring prisoners have cable television is more important than removing dangerous drugs from our cities, towns, and streets.”

According to Dobson, a 2017 news article shows that Brewbaker wanted to prioritize improving the living conditions of felons over combating the opioid crisis.

“Sen. Dick Brewbaker said the opioid crisis is a distraction from other issues in Alabama,” the article began. It also reported that he referred to opioids as “a good safe crisis that no one has to take any risks on.”

In the same news piece he is quoted as saying, “prisons and the education system are both more immediate crises than opioids.”

A study by the National Institute of Drug Abuse noted that in 2017 Alabama providers wrote 107.2 opioid prescriptions for every 100 persons, which was the highest rate in the U.S. and twice the national average. In addition, the death rate of opioid overdoses in Alabama in 2017 increased by 11.1 percent over 2016, to 18.0 per 100,000 residents.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.