City Times Staff

State Senator Julie Lassa and Congressman Ron Kind were in town on Wednesday for the latest round-table discussion on drug prevention.

The round-table, also known as a “drug summit” to some, involved law enforcement, lawyers, judges and medical professionals from Portage and Wood counties. The discussion is typically closed-door to allow for frank discussion on the real drug-related problems facing authorities in all three branches of local government and medical providers.

The drug summit took place at the Lincoln Center.

Kind said he’s attended several of the round-table discussions of late, and he wants to help to create a partnership between local, state and federal governments to create a better line of communication regarding what type of assistance local law enforcement, legal experts and medical professionals might need.

“We’re working on comprehensive opioid legislation in Washington [D.C.] to deal with opioid addiction that’s also leading to meth and heroin use in our communities,” Kind said. “It’s an all-hands-on-deck moment.”

“Sessions like this one are really important because it really does give you the perspective of a really wide variety of people who are dealing with the opiate epidemic here in Central Wisconsin,” Lassa said. “We want to really focus on this epidemic and root it out, and make sure kids and parents know what’s happening in the community, and making sure they’re really proactive is not using [drugs].”