Man Hears Obama’s Speech on Addiction, Turns in a Cooler Full of Drugs

Pete Souza/ZUMA

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


Last week, President Barack Obama traveled to West Virginia, a state that leads the nation in the number of fatal drug overdoses, to announce a new federal program aimed at tackling the country’s growing opiate epidemic.

That same day, a West Virginia man was so moved by the president’s speech, WSAZ reports, that he called 911 to seek help and turn in a “cooler full of drugs.” The cooler reportedly included marijuana, 19 grams of ecstasy, and more than 150 pain killers.

He told authorities he had been watching Obama’s announcement and hoped to become sober for his mother. No charges were filed.

“We applaud this person’s self-initiated efforts and wish him well in his recovery,” a police statement read.

The man, whose name has not been released, was taken to get medical treatment. He chose to enter a rehabilitation center.

For more on the opiate crisis in West Virginia and the president’s speech, head to our previous coverage here.

Fact:

Mother Jones was founded as a nonprofit in 1976 because we knew corporations and billionaires wouldn't fund the type of hard-hitting journalism we set out to do.

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2024 demands.

payment methods

Fact:

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2024 demands.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate