WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) says the Huntington officials are coming to terms with the extent of the drug problem following last month’s rash of nearly two dozen heroin overdoses there in the matter of six hours.
Speaking on the U.S. Senate floor last week, Capito said while overdose rates in Huntington remain high, the number of deaths related to overdose are decreasing there.
“The cooperation and the sad reality that they are well-practiced and well-trained can also be accredited with the 26 lives that they’ve saved,” she said. “That’s an encouraging sign.”
“Huntington is a city that knows it has a problem and is doing all the right things to fight it,” she said.
Several bills in connection with the drug crisis have been introduced in the Senate. Last week, Capito and U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Ct) offered a resolution due to the nationwide problem.
“(It) honors the significant achievements of those citizens who are now in recovery,” Capito explained. “The resolution also recognizes the nationwide need for increased access to treatment. This is an area where we have so much more work to be done.”
Capito is also pushing for additional services after an addict receives treatment.
“Recovery does not end when an addict finishes treatment. Services need to be available to assist with their transition back into society,” she said.
Also, Capito said there needs to be way to stop drugs from getting to local communities in West Virginia and across the country. Capito recently announced her support for the STOP Act, a bill that targets the supply of dangerous synthetic drugs and would help prevent drug trafficking in towns like Huntington.
“We must take a fresh look at this epidemic — an epidemic that, to me, is threatening to take an entire generation, this next generation of our best and brightest,” she said.