It has been 13 months since Atmore native Steve Marshall was appointed to replace Luther Strange as attorney general for the state of Alabama. He now faces a Republican primary in June and a general election in November if he wants to keep the position.

He does.

“There’s very much a passion for me in this area — the opportunity to be an advocate for victims, to be able to stand up for those who have been harmed, to be able to be that voice in courtrooms through the state of Alabama — it’s very much what drives me,” Marshall said during a visit to Athens Tuesday.

He emphasized that despite the political nature of his appointment and the chance to remain attorney general, it’s not politics pushing him to try to continue as AG.

“What drives me is not what may be next politically, because I don’t worry that there’s anything next,” he said. “What I worry is whether or not I’m leading the state’s law firm appropriately and whether we are collectively doing things that make a difference for the people in the state.”

Marshall has acted on issues ranging from opioids to violent crime to human trafficking.

“Folks are seeking the opportunity for us to be engaged in those issues outside the state of Alabama that also affect what we’re doing here,” Marshall said. “… I think I bring to the table that public safety background and experience, which I think is important to the people, but also the ability to be engaged in issues that affect and matter to the people in the state.”

Opioids

“I’ve been working on public safety for quite some time,” Marshall said, referring to his almost 20 years as district attorney for Marshall County.

In his work, he said, he’s become “very passionate about the opioid issue.”

“We’ve seen the loss of life, and that’s definitely a public safety issue,” he said. “But it’s also a public health issue and mental health issue.”

After Kay Ivey was appointed governor, Marshall approached her for help in dealing with opioids in Alabama.

“Within a couple weeks, I went to her and said we aren’t dealing with this issue in the state, and we need some direction and leadership going forward,” Marshall said.

Ivey later named him co-chair of Alabama’s Opioid Overdose and Addiction Council. On Dec. 31, the council issued a 74-page plan in handling opioid abuse in Alabama.

This year, the attorney general filed a lawsuit against OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma. He said the company has since announced it would stop directly marketing opioids to physicians.

“I think that was a very positive step forward,” Marshall said.

He said he is aware the problem of opioid abuse will be an ongoing one that will require engagement with medication distributors, identifying pill mills and other supply issues, and changing the way addiction is being handled or treated. As attorney general, he hopes to continue working to overcome those challenges and make sure responsibility is taken with regard to the marketing and sale of opioids.

“Opioids are going to be a continual issue,” he said. “We didn’t get into it overnight. We won’t get out of it overnight.”

Other crime

The Alabama Attorney General website credits Marshall with creating a major crimes unit, computer forensics lab and crystal meth task force during his time as district attorney for Marshall County. The site further mentions his work in developing a strategic plan for increasing crime rates in the state, including training for law enforcement and assistance to underserved communities.

“One of the things we see is that while some of our larger communities may have resources that they need and capacity to address that, there are others that don’t,” Marshall said.

He specifically mentioned the near-dozen arrests in Selma two months ago, in which 11 people were arrested in connection with an alleged drug-trafficking network. While he refused to give specifics, he did say similar investigations continue in other areas throughout Alabama.

He also referenced the Cybercrime Lab that was announced last month.

“The Cybercrime Lab provides cutting-edge tools to enable our investigators to more effectively conduct online investigations of criminal activity, ranging from child sexual exploitation and human trafficking to network intrusions and data breaches,” Marshall said at the time.

Marshall said Tuesday he wants to continue around the state law enforcement training on the best practices in investigating crime.

“The clear work is done with local law enforcement and local district attorneys on those cases, but we have the ability to supplement and bring attention to what they’re doing,” Marshall said.

Part of that, he said, will also be rural crime. Marshall said he wants to continue talking about the cases that impact farmers and rural communities, as well as keeping an active agricultural investigative unit.

Election

Marshall is the incumbent in the June 5 Republican primary. He has three GOP opponents — Chess Bedsole, former Attorney General Troy King and former U.S. Attorney Alice Martin.

The winner will face the winner of the Democrat primary in the Nov. 6 general election. Currently, Chris Christie and Joseph Siegelman are running as Democrats in the race.