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Summit focus on prescription abuse
A drug bust by Huntington police turns up $27,099 in cash and various guns and drugs this week.
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HUNTINGTON -- Prescription drug abuse remains a problem across the Tri-State, as the number of deaths from drug overdoses in the state rises and drug busts by authorities increasingly turn up pills like OxyContin.
Area residents and professionals can address the growing trend at the third annual Cabell County drug prevention summit from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, at Big Sandy Superstore Arena Conference Center in Huntington. The summit invites people to hear speakers and participate in roundtable discussions. The public is invited to attend and everyone from politicians to health care providers will participate.
"This is a very pressing issue," said Anne McGee, director of the Cabell County Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership.
McGee said the annual summit keeps talk about substance abuse alive.
"It lets everyone know that everyone has a stake in this problem," she said. "If we only look at things from our own perspective, we lose possibilities for solutions. By bringing all of these different sectors together, sometimes we get new possibilities, new solutions."
One idea that came out of the first summit, McGee said, was to pursue The Healing Place of Huntington, a substance abuse recovery center.
This year's summit will focus on prescription drug abuse, as West Virginia and the Appalachian region have some of the highest rates of abuse, McGee said.
Just last week, a Kenova man was charged with seven felony counts of possession with intent to sell. Kenova Police said the man was running an elaborate operation from his home at 924 Walnut St., with 12 people selling for him and more than 300 customers. Officers said they found OxyContin, Adderall, Strattera, Lunesta and a liquid steroid, along with homemade pills and a .40-caliber handgun, ammunition and $3,000 in bundled bills when they made the arrest.
In December, Huntington Police arrested a man on federal drug trafficking charges at his workplace after an anonymous tip led to his residence at 635 11th Ave. He allegedly had an estimated 100, 80-milligram OxyContin tablets on him at the time of his arrest, with an additional stash of at least 100 OxyContin tablets, suspected cocaine powder and an undetermined amount of cash at his residence.
The prescription drug summit aims to educate people about what they can do to prevent abuse, including how to properly get rid of unused medicine.
"Prescriptions are things that most of us have in the homes," McGee said. "Most people don't think twice about it. We can caution people to take a few extra steps to monitor their prescriptions."
The majority of overdose deaths in West Virginia in 2006 were associated with non-medical use and diversion of pharmaceuticals, primarily narcotics, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in December.
In 2006, drug overdoses were the leading cause of death in West Virginia for adults younger than 45. These rates were the highest in the country, according to information from the Cabell County Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership (CCSAPP). From 1999 to 2004, deaths resulting from drug overdose in West Virginia rose 550 percent.
Data from CCSAPP also indicates that approximately 250,000 West Virginians used some sort of prescription drugs for non-medical reasons in 2005. In 2006, West Virginians filled an average of 17.2 prescriptions.
Speakers at the summit include the federal director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and the director of the West Virginia Controlled Substances Advisory Board.
Sponsors for the drug summit are the Cabell County Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership, The Herald-Dispatch, Brickstreet Insurance, The West Virginia Prevention Resource Center and the United Way of the River Cities.
Agencies, churches, faith-based and community organizations may participate in the summit by hosting an informational booth or display to promote their activities or services that target substance abuse treatment, counseling, prevention and diversion programs, recovery programs, and supportive services.
Drug prevention summit
WHAT: The third annual Cabell County drug prevention summit will focus on the growing trend of prescription drug abuse. It will include discussions on how the community can reduce the problem.
WHEN: 12:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8.
WHERE: Big Sandy Superstore Arena Conference Center in Huntington.
SPEAKERS: The summit is scheduled to include talks by Frances M. Harding, a director at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and Dr. Michael O'Neil of Charleston, director of the West Virginia Controlled Substances Advisory Board.
SPONSORS: Cabell County Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership, The Herald-Dispatch, Brickstreet Insurance, The West Virginia Prevention Resource Center and the United Way of the River Cities.
RESERVATIONS: Anyone interested in attending should RSVP by calling Anne McGee at 304-523-8929, Ext. 5, or e-mailing anne.mcgee@unitedwayrivercities.org.
