One way West Virginia's lawmakers can fix the state's drug addiction woes is identifying and funding effective recovery programs, community members attending a pre-legislative session forum at Charleston's East End Family Resource Center said Tuesday.
The state also needs to have a larger discussion about the problem - one that humanizes people who struggle with addiction - said the forum's organizer, Delegate Chris Stansbury, R-Kanawha.
Tuesday's meeting was the second addiction forum organized by Stansbury. He said the first meeting, which happened in June, started talks with state agencies about drugs and resources clinical and faith-based programs need to combat addiction.
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Some of the programs represented at Tuesday's meeting were Recovery Point of Huntington and Charleston and the Foundations Recovery Program at Charleston's Union Mission. Local, state and federal officials have asked about modeling the program's successes since President Barack Obama highlighted them during his October visit to Charleston to discuss the country's drug addiction problems.
The programs currently receive no funding from the state. While they've been proven successful, funding the programs will be difficult, Stansbury said.
But another lawmaker in attendance said programs don't need state funds to successfully reintegrate addicts into society.
Delegate Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, said the programs represented at the forum have proven they don't need much money to operate.
"It doesn't cost as much as you think to get them on the right path," he said.
Stansbury did note that there are federal grants available for such programs and that public-private partnerships should be pursued.
"I hope to continue this conversation in the Legislature," he said, adding that he believes people have little or no understanding of how addicts are struggling.
He went on to say many people he's spoken with cite a lack of communication and access to information about addiction as barriers to addressing drug problems in West Virginia.
But if conversations are to be had, the stigma surrounding addiction needs to be reversed, said Stansbury and other recovery experts who spoke Tuesday.
"Addiction isn't something people want to talk about," said Susan Busby, director of Warriors for Hope, an organization that raises awareness for addiction and advocates for recovery issues.
"But it's OK to talk, and it's OK to admit you have an addiction," she said, adding that doing so is the first step toward recovery.
Stansbury agreed, saying "Talking about addiction is a way for us to explore fresh ideas and tackle the problem."
One idea Stansbury has for addressing drug problems is opening up the availability of naloxone, which reverses the effects of opioid overdose. He said he's drafting a bill, to be introduced at session's start in January, that will increase access to the potentially life-saving drug.
"But it won't be like an over-the-counter drug," he said, adding the bill would call for special training on using and administering the drug.
The Legislature already increased access to naloxone earlier this year when it authorized the West Virginia State Police to carry the drug, but cost, training and storage issues have stalled plans to do so.
Other solutions offered Tuesday included using a portion of seized assets to help fund recovery programs and state officials continuing to put pressure on pharmaceutical companies and doctors for over-prescribing pain medication.
Community members also called for passing second chance employment legislation, something Pushkin proposed last session. The bill would allow people convicted of non-violent crimes to apply to have their records cleared after five years for a felony and after one year for a misdemeanor.
Reach Samuel Speciale
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