Wrangell Sentinel -

For many people in Southeast Alaska, and particularly Wrangell and Petersburg, the burdensome weight of drug and alcohol addiction is something they live and cope with, and fight against on a daily basis.

The most recent numbers released by the state show a marked increase in the use of illegal drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine over the course of the past decade.

In a June interview, Wrangell Police Department Lieutenant Merlin Ehlers said his office has seen an uptick in the amount of narcotics flowing into the borough.

“From the information we receive, there is quite a b...