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La Grande dentist Lynn Harris speaks not of toothaches but of heartache when discussing the 21 months he recently spent treating inmates at state prisons in Baker City and Pendleton.

Harris provided dental care and voluntarily counseled many inmates from 2011 through 2013. Harris said these were men trying to rebuild shattered lives, that often had crumbled because of the use of hard drugs like heroin and meth, substances the inmates often told Harris that marijuana led them to.

“Most of their medical histories included drug abuse. Many said marijuana was the gateway drug that got them started,” Harris said. “A 1,000-mile journey starts with a first step and for many of these people that first step was marijuana.”

See more in Monday’s issue of the La Grande Observer.