MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In the eyes of a U.S. Attorney, West Virginia’s substance-abuse problem is the biggest quality-of-life treat to the state.
Bill Ihlenfeld was one of the 150 guests invited to sit before President Barack Obama during a discussion about opioid and heroin abuse Wednesday in Kanawha County.
“Part of the process of getting through this storm that we find ourselves in is raising awareness about the issue,” Ihlenfeld said Thursday on WAJR’s Morgantown AM. “You can’t do any better than bringing the President of the United States to raise awareness.”
In an editorial released a day before Obama’s visit to Charleston, Ihlenfeld depicted a state ridden with drug abuse.
“Annually, there are 138 prescriptions written for every 100 West Virginians for drugs like Oxycontin and Percocet,” wrote Ihlenfeld.
The U.S. Attorney is among those who believe fighting the prescription pill and heroin epidemic in the state will take police, physicians, educators, businesses, pharmacists and treatment programs.
“The president was made aware of some of the great work that’s being done in West Virginia. He heard that there’s a lack of treatment resources here in the state. For him to hear that and for Sylvia Burwell, who’s the Secretary of Health and Human Services and a West Virginia native, to hear that is a positive. Hopefully it will mean more resources coming back to the state,” said an optimistic Ihlenfeld.
Ihlenfeld said Obama was well-received by the attendees at the drug epidemic discussion on Charleston’s east side.
Nearby, though, miners rallied to protest against administration policies they say are killing the state’s coal industry.
When it comes to issues like drug abuse and overdose deaths, which is the number one killer of state residents under the age of 45, Ihlenfeld said politics have seemingly been put aside.
“We’re good at coming together. We’re very resilient. We’re able to take on problems head on. I think that’s what we’re doing and will continue to do with this problem. I was pleased to see people from different sides of the aisle coming together yesterday for the good of the cause.”
In February, Ihlenfeld’s office was joined by Monongalia and Marion County police, health leaders, and school administrators to announce an Addiction Action Plan. It was developed to decrease heroin use, promote increased access to abuse treatment and inhibit drug traffickers from infiltrating West Virginia communities.