Recent editorials from North Carolina newspapers:
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Aug. 29
The News & Observer on reckless drivers in school zones:
Law enforcement stands ready to punish those who speed in school zones, or fail to follow the rules when it comes to stopping behind and in front of a stopped school bus and other rules of the road now in full force with the return of school.
Gov. Roy Cooper signed a law in July imposing a fine of up to $400 for passing a stopped school bus. Some buses will be equipped with cameras to spot violators.
Of all the deadly hazards, passing a stopped school bus may be the worst. The most recent fatality happened in March in Onslow County, and there have been 14 students killed since 1998 by cars passing stopped school buses in North Carolina.
School zones limiting speed also are in effect, and drivers should beware that judges give no breaks, and shouldn’t, on these charges.
Police departments and sheriffs’ offices want people to know that the start of school is a time when they double down on patrols and the enforcement of laws. After school’s been in for a while, people tend to slow down. But until then, law officers will have their sirens and their ticket books at the ready.
The start of school is a special time, a joyous time. Drivers need to do their part to ensure that’s exactly what it remains.
Online: https://www.newsobserver.com/
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Aug. 24
The Charlotte Observer on addiction in North Carolina:
Charlotte doctors tell the Observer editorial board that every week, they see a person die from overdosing on prescription painkillers or heroin.
A Jacksonville, N.C., man told Attorney General Josh Stein that he was in a motorcycle accident and hurt his knee. Within days, he was addicted to his prescriptions and spent the next 12 years addicted and on the streets.
A Statesville urologist told Stein that he discovered patients who would take his paper prescriptions and add painkillers at the bottom by forging his handwriting.
Dr. Don Teater of Waynesville told us that a few years ago while working at a methadone clinic, he admitted five pregnant women on one day who were addicted to opioids. Three had gotten pregnant just so they could get treatment for their dangerous addictions.
Yes, North Carolina, we have a crisis.
“It’s become apparent to me that it’s the most pressing public health and criminal justice issue we have here in North Carolina,” Stein told the editorial board Thursday.
The attorney general was in Charlotte and Statesville for roundtables on the opioid addiction epidemic. Law enforcement officers, health care providers, substance abuse specialists, policymakers and others came together to share what they’re seeing and to learn from each other.
Four of America’s 20 most-addicted cities are in North Carolina, one study found. More than 1,100 people died of opioid-related causes in North Carolina in 2015, a 73 percent jump in 10 years.
There is much to be done, though legislators took an important step this summer. The House and Senate unanimously approved the STOP Act to more tightly regulate the prescription of painkillers. The law limits doctors to prescribing a five-day supply for acute pain and a seven-day supply after surgery. It also requires them to use a statewide database that tracks whether patients have multiple prescriptions from multiple doctors.
But much more needs to be done.
Doctors and dentists need to prescribe narcotic painkillers only when it’s absolutely necessary, as they used to, not as a matter of course as some do now. Even the STOP Act’s limits are too loose in some cases. The Centers for Disease Control recommends a three-day limit. Fewer prescriptions would, in turn, cut down on heroin use, because most heroin users started with prescription drugs.
And if legislators would accept federal expansion of Medicaid, far more addicted people who currently don’t have insurance would be able to afford treatment. Increasing reimbursements would also entice more doctors to provide treatment for addiction.
Finally, North Carolina needs an intense education campaign, especially for young people. One in five 11th graders in the past year have taken prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them, Stein said. Public awareness efforts could reduce opioid abuse, just as they cut drunk driving and smoking among teens.
Society is not paying close attention, and so is spending a lot of money on this crisis at hospitals, jails and in other ways. We should pay closer attention, and spend that money in ways that help solve the problem.
Online: https://www.charlotteobserver.com
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Aug. 27
News & Record of Greensboro on addressing water quality threats:
The people who live along the lower Cape Fear River are worried about the water they drink. They should be, and they have a right to demand that politicians help rather than hinder.
An industrial chemical known as GenX was found in elevated levels in the river. This was documented by an N.C. State University researcher last December, but it wasn’t until June when the public became aware. The source was traced to Chemours Co., a manufacturer of fluoroproducts used for coatings on non-stick surfaces and other applications, which has a facility near Fayetteville. The company stopped discharging GenX into the river in July.
GenX replaced another chemical that was deemed potentially harmful, but little is known about the health effects of GenX. It is not regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which notes concern but says more study is needed.
Under the federal Clean Water Act, the state of North Carolina has responsibility for determining appropriate limits for unregulated pollutants, according to Robin Smith, an environmental lawyer in Chapel Hill who writes the Smith Environment Blog.
Gov. Roy Cooper has asked the General Assembly for $2.5 million to help the Department of Environmental Quality conduct research and monitoring for GenX. Unfortunately, this very reasonable request has not yet been granted.
The legislature’s Environmental Review Commission, co-chaired by Sen. Trudy Wade (R-Guilford), held a four-hour hearing in Wilmington Thursday, meeting more than 100 people, some angry, confused or frightened.
“You, you, you, you - all of you had a hand in this,” resident Daniel Zielinski told the lawmakers and regulators present, according to Lisa Sorg, reporting for NC Policy Watch.
Yes and no. No one knew much about GenX, or does yet. But the anti-regulatory drive in Raleigh over the past six years has weakened the ability of water-quality agencies to monitor threats, let alone stop them.
The Department of Environmental Quality has been shredded by budget cuts and staff reductions over that time. Cooper’s request for a $2.5 million emergency appropriation would barely cover the $1.9 million cut just this year. Furthermore, the legislature passed a bill, signed by former Gov. Pat McCrory, barring enactment of any environmental regulations stricter than federal standards. Since there are no federal standards for GenX, it’s not clear the state can do anything unless that law is repealed - as it should be. If it is, DEQ has authority under the Clean Water Act to limit the discharge of otherwise-unregulated pollutants, according to Smith.
The EPA, meanwhile, won’t do anything. President Trump has ordered that two old regulations must be erased if a new one is adopted. The foolishness of such a policy is illustrated by GenX - new generations of chemicals pose potential new dangers. Putting limits on new regulations is as wise as staring at the sun without eclipse glasses.
It’s different when threats get personal. Republican state Sen. Mike Lee of New Hanover County wondered whether GenX might have caused health problems in his own family, The Associated Press reported. When those questions come up, deregulation doesn’t sound as good.
State Rep. Deb Butler, a Democrat from Wilmington, made the most sensible suggestion, according to Sorg’s report: “This is $2.5 million in a $23 billion budget. The state has a rainy day fund. It’s rained in Wilmington.”
Wade didn’t allow a vote on any recommendation Wednesday, saying it could wait until September. But everyone should know the right thing to do: Give the money to the DEQ so it can do its job for the sake of people who rely on safe drinking water.
Online: https://www.news-record.com/
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