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UNLAWFUL METHADONE USE TARGETED

CHARLESTON - With crimes involving the abuse of methadone on the rise across southern West Virginia, area law enforcement officials are seeking improved cooperation with those clinics that prescribe the highly potent narcotic.

In hopes of improving communication and cooperation between the police and clinic administrators, area law enforcement officials, including Princeton Police Chief Casey Martin and members of the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, met Monday in Charleston with clinic directors from Beckley, Williamson, Charleston and Huntington as part of a gathering coordinated by Delegate Marshall Long, D-Mercer.

Long said the ultimate goal of law enforcement is to reduce or eliminate the possibility of methadone prescribed by a clinic being sold or diverted to the streets for illegal usage.

"The officers detailed how they were buying liquid methadone on the streets that had been dispensed from the methadone clinics, and the methadone clinics told them how their procedures work," Long said.  "I think it was a real success.  Everyone exchanged cards and they plan on meeting again in December."

The number of criminal cases involving the illegal usage of methadone is on the increase in Mercer County, including several recent homicide investigations stemming from fatal overdoses of methadone, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Timm Boggess said.

Boggess said a methadone clinic proposed for Mercer County could create additional problems.

"Well obviously, I would like to see more cooperation between them ( clinic directors and law enforcement ), but I also would like to see no methadone clinics in the state, and I definitely don't want any in our area," Boggess said.  "I just think it is asking for problems."

Boggess said methadone is a very dangerous and highly addictive narcotic.

"It is probably one of the most dangerous and easy to overdose on," Boggess said.  "It is very easily overdosed when you are not using it under medical supervision, and when these people get out and start distributing it on the street."

Boggess said prosecutors believe several of the criminal cases in Mercer County involving methadone can be traced back to the clinics.