East Texas needs drug money.

That's what the region's detox and rehab center officials say while waiting to hear if any of the $13.5 million in federal addiction-kicking money Texas received Thursday will go to them.

Some don't think it will.

"Yes, we're rural, we're sometimes overlooked, and in my opinion there is a disparity of funding," said Susan Erwin, director of East Texas Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the region's screening and referral center. "All too often rural communities miss out on a lot of funded programs."

[continues 982 words]