SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – Whether it’s in big cities or sleepy suburbs, the opioid epidemic has reached all across our country and that includes in western Massachusetts. It’s a problem as complex as it is widespread and deadly. For Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, the opioid epidemic has been an issue since day one when he was first elected to the office in 2015, which is about the time, he said, that public awareness of addiction and the use of opioids really burst onto the scene in the area. “So we really hit the ground running and we started the Hampden County Addiction Task Force with then-Sheriff Ashe at the end of 2015, you know working to really crystalize the efforts around recovery and addiction in Hampden County,” he explained.