3 Weeks to go until Election Day and the candidates for the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate seat continue to visit our area.
Democrat Lt. Gov. John Fetterman held a rally in Johnstown on Friday.
Today Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz met with local leaders to discuss crime and drug problems.
The hour-long discussion put on by his campaign was held at Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center in Johnstown’s West End.
It was not a public event, it was only held with the panelists and media in the room.
Much of the discussion today was about the rise in Fentynal, and ways to combat it.
Oz talked about supporting more efforts to get addicts into rehab a promise to do more to secure borders to limit Fentynal coming in from Mexico with panelists talking about how simply jailing more people won’t solve the issue
and their efforts here have helped to an extent
But there is concern the drug issue is further tearing communites apart.
“It’s a problem that continues to grow in signinifcance and one that will permantely scar this nation, this commonwealth, and this county unless we begin to take it seriosuly and aggresviely push back on what we have tolerated for far too long.”
“The #1 thing that I would like to say to the community as a community organization and community coaltion is that it’s going to take every single one of us. It’s going to take every single community member to really accept the science behind the disease concept of addiction.”
As for more specific issues for dealing with crime the discussion itself stuck to the drug crisis. Though Oz was asked by one of the reporters in the room about specific plans for reducing crime.
To which oz ignored the question as he left the room.