Local leaders wants to make Hamilton County the worst place in America to sell fentanyl and other deadly drugs.
“I want our students to be knowledgeable about the risks,” County Mayor Weston Wamp said during a news conference at the Hamilton County-Chattanooga Courts Building on Thursday, which was International Overdose Awareness Day. “I want parents to be informed about what pill may end their child’s life.”
Wamp, Sheriff Austin Garrett and District Attorney Coty Wamp, the mayor’s sister, announced how officials intend to use some of the millions of dollars worth of opioid abatement funds the county will receive annually over the next 18 years.
The money stems from major nationwide settlements with drug companies that distribute and manufacture opioids. The state has started dispensing that money to local governments, and Hamilton County has so far received about $2.3 million. Much of the funding the county will receive in the coming years is restricted to efforts that address addiction.
“I want those who become addicted to have more supports, whether it’s in jail, whether it’s in the schools, whether it’s on college campus, whether it’s by finding industry partners,” the mayor said. He added that when it comes to drug dealers, “He’ll arrest them and she’ll prosecute them,” referring to the sheriff and DA.