MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In a vacuum, issues like roads, home ownership, education funding, tourism and community development are vitally important. But each is academic and largely irrelevant if a generation of West Virginians is lost to addiction.
This was among the points raised Thursday morning during a legislative breakfast hosted by the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce.
The panel, all Democrats following November’s election, included delegates from the 51st District John Williams, Barbara Evans Fleischauer, Evan Hansen, Danielle Walker and Rodney Pyles as well as 5th District Delegate Dave Pethtel and senators Bob Beach, Monongalia, and Roman Prezioso, Marion.
Questions covered a range of topics, but the issue that kept working its way to the fore was West Virginia’s longstanding title as the state with the highest rate of overdose death and the knock-on effect addiction has on employment, development and countless other issues.
Prezioso said it’s impossible to overstate the destruction drug addiction is causing across West Virginia.
“Community-based organizations have to play a major part in this thing. We’ve got to get more money infused into local community agencies to take care of this drug problem,” he said. “We can’t afford to treat it like a criminal offense. It’s an illness and it’s plaguing this state.”
With available treatment facilities overwhelmed, getting access to treatment often involves waiting lists or even leaving the state.
Pyles said he supports taking closed facilities like the Hopemont Hospital in Preston County, and turning them into treatment centers.
Incoming freshman Delegate Evan Hansen said litigation similar to what was brought against the tobacco industry could help fund treatment options, explaining “Sometimes you’ve got to sue the bad guys.”
He said a lack of long term treatment is the most critical need.
“We can resuscitate someone who may be overdosing. We can bring them to jail for a short time. We might even be able to get them into short-term treatment, but until we have long-term treatment on demand … that can change a person’s life, or at least give them a chance, we’re just going to be on this cycle,” Hansen said.
The panelists were also asked if they would work to reintroduce fixes to the state’s medical marijuana law similar to what HB 4345 would have done before it was allowed to die last session. Kanawha County resident and cannabis industry entrepreneur Chris Yeager said states with effective medical pot laws have seen opiate overdose deaths fall by as much as 30 percent.
Doctors are not permitted to prescribe medical cannabis cards in West Virginia until July 2019, and then only under very specific circumstances. HB 4345 would have also dealt with issues of taxation.
Williams said he believes medical cannabis can be an effective part of the fight against opiate addiction by replacing highly addictive pain pills for some patients.
“I think it’s a huge part of the attacking plan in stopping, just hitting stop on the issue right now,” Williams said.
Walker, a newly elected delegate, said that in addition to marijuana aiding the addiction fight, it will also generate revenue for the state.
“I do support medical cannabis in West Virginia. It’s time for us to go green. That’s also going to bring us so much income,” Walker said, noting addiction throws families into chaos — from the parents who are dead or in jail, to the children who are removed from the home, to the grandparents who are often left caring for young kids.
Eldon Callen, vice president of governmental affairs for the chamber, said the breakfast provides an opportunity to remind representatives that they have a resource in local stakeholders.
“How can we as the Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Realtors help you accomplish these things. That’s what the breakfast is all about. What can we do? That’s what we’re here for,” Callen said.
The legislative breakfast was held at the Courtyard Marriott, located in the University Town Centre. It was sponsored by Courtyard Marriott and Southern Airways.
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Story by Ben Conley