This is the second part in our documentary, The Hidden Epidemic. You can hear the full documentary on Michigan Radio on Thursday, July 16th at 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. Part one is here.
On October 27th, 1986, President Reagan signed a new law to fight drug use in America. Buried within that law were new penalties for those convicted of selling drugs. The premise behind these penalties was to get the most serious drug offenders off the streets, and send a message that dealing drugs in America is a crime that does not pay.
Eugene Atkins never got that message.
“One thing about Gene, he always grew up a little faster than the rest of us,” says his friend Joseph Russau.
Russau grew up just around the corner from "Gene" Atkins, near the Eastown area of Grand Rapids.
[For more of this story, written by Dustin Dwyer, go to http://stateofopportunity.mich...aler-got-locked-life]
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