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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

WV Lawmakers: Now We Need to Deal With Substance Abuse Demand

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Monday, April 2, 2012   

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed a bill on March 30 that is intended to cut substance abuse by making legal drugs harder to divert. Lawmakers close to the issue say that is a good step, but West Virginia needs to reduce the demand for drugs, as well as the supply.

Senate Health and Human Resources Committee chairman Ron Stollings, a physician, says an estimated 85 percent of the state's prison costs are connected to substance abuse. He says bringing down the flow of addicts into the system will take more than just tightening supplies of Sudafed and prescription painkillers. It will take prevention and treatment.

"We've got to get some programs in schools, prevention, educate the docs, get addiction specialists - behavioral health specialists - in all areas of the state. Then you turn the spigot off."

Stollings says it makes sense for doctors like him to watch for signs of substance abuse among patients. That way, he says, they can push an addict into treatment before the police have to get involved. However, he says, while West Virginia has doctors and medical clinics in rural areas, it doesn't have as many addiction specialists or behavioral health clinics.

"I don't think we have quite the infrastructure in place yet, the capacity to deal with the issue. We are going to have to have a funding stream for some up-front costs."

As of now, the state has $7.5 million set aside to start dealing with substance abuse treatment. House Health and Human Resources Committee chairman Don Perdue says the job will take $15 million to $20 million dollars a year. But he points out that is much less than the cost of a new prison, which is the other option to deal with the state's overcrowded jails.

"You've got to be able to pay for the things that you know are valuable. We know what's valuable. We've done the studies. We know what works. Now we need to put the funding in play."

During the last regular legislative session, lawmakers balked at sending more addicts to treatment instead of prison. Some cited costs and not wanting to be soft on crime.

The annual conference of the National Association of Social Workers, West Virginia Chapter, will concentrate on training and other issues related to treating substance abuse. It is scheduled for April 25-27 at the Charleston Civic Center. More information about the conference is available at http://www.naswwv.org/.




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