CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As the former health officer of West Virginia and the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, Dr. Rahul Gupta says he knows what resources are needed to combat the drug epidemic locally and nationwide.

Gupta, who now serves as the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, recently told Charleston reporters he’s seeing his efforts to secure funding for Quick Response Teams come to fruition.
“What makes me real proud is, back in 2017 or so, I was able to help provide that funding for these. The fact that six years later, it is doing so well, saving so many lives and moving forward is just heartwarming to see,” Gupta said during a stop with Charleston’s CARE Team Friday.
The city’s CARE (Coordinated Addiction Response Effort) Team was formed in 2019. It’s an initiative from Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler to provide a specialized team to deal with issues of substance abuse, mental illness and homelessness.
The team meets with people on the streets daily, some for the first time to establish a relationship and others who may be connected to services and other resources.
Gupta said it’s important to meet people where they are.
“It’s not about being in a suit. It’s more about being in jeans and sneakers and helping people recognize that you’re all just one of us and we’re one of you. That’s what helps eliminate stigma,” he said.
VIDEO: White House Drug Czar @DrGupta46 joins Charleston Mayor @AmySGoodwin to speak with the city’s CARE Team and people struggling with drug abuse. This is an area known to Gupta because he is the former health officer in Kanawha County and WV. @WVMetroNews @580WCHS pic.twitter.com/UwyS8umWYk
— Carrie Hodousek (@CarrieHodousek) June 9, 2023
In April, Gupta declared xylazine mixed with fentanyl as a nationwide threat.
“As a local health officer right here in Charleston, Kanawha County and Putnam County and the health commissioner for two governors, I recognize that often times our governments are reactive to drug threats and I didn’t want to make that mistake, so I declared fentanyl mixed with xylazine on April 12th as an emerging threat partly to get ahead of the situation for the country,” Gupta said.
Xylazine, commonly known as “zombie drug”, is an animal tranquilizer that leads to skin-rotting symptoms including leg wounds, swollen hands and even missing limbs.
Xylazine has been in West Virginia since early this year, according to U.S. Attorney for West Virginia’s Northern District Bill Ihlenfeld. Gupta said he’s concerned it will spread.
“Fentanyl itself is so lethal and deadly, but when mixed with xylazine it becomes so much dangerous and destructive in terms of wounds, some of the worse flesh wounds I’ve ever seen,” he said.
Narcan, an opioid reversal drug, is often used to help revive someone experiencing an overdose. Gupta said if xylazine is mixed with opioids, Narcan won’t help save the person overdosing.
“We want people to continue using Narcan with somebody who is overdosing but be aware that it will complicate that withdrawal reaction,” he said.
Gupta said the federal government is working to increase funding for more research and treatment regarding xylazine. He said it’s just as important to meet with people sooner rather than later.

In 2022, Charleston’s CARE Team was able to connect 339 people to drug treatment, serve 380 mental health-related calls and provide services and supplies to 25-30 homeless individuals.
Goodwin said having Gupta see the work of the CARE Team in action will help the city get more resources to fight the epidemic.
“We are lucky in West Virginia that we have somebody like Dr. Gupta who can be from his lips to the President’s ears of what we need here in all of Appalachia because this isn’t just about Charleston, WV. This is about the Mountain State and this is about our entire country,” she said.
Gupta also made stops in Morgantown and Lewisburg last week. He plans tour other states in the near future.