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TIME & TAZEWELL:

REMEDY OF A SERIOUS DRUG PROBLEM WOULD HAVE MADE A BETTER ARTICLE

Following several weeks of discussion, a strange debate is finally winding down in Tazewell County.  A two-page article in the pages of Time magazine last month that chronicled the region's rampant drug problem also prompted widespread anger among county officials and community leaders, many of whom argued the unwanted national media attention painted an ugly picture of the region. 

The magazine article itself was criticized by all five members of the county's Board of Supervisors, who argued that it failed to mention anything positive about Tazewell County. 

Sheriff H.S.  Caudill said he was correctly quoted some of the time and taken out of context some of the time during the course of a 10-minute telephone interview.  Caudill said he was disappointed in the slant the magazine took, adding that the overall picture portrayed by the article, including comments such as "sagging barns" and the "patch of Appalachia" were unnecessary. 

The supervisors took the debate another step forward with the formation of a committee designed for the specific purpose of developing an action plan on how to respond to the magazine article.  Following two meetings and several lengthy discussions, the committee concluded last week that no action would be the county's best course of action.  The committee further recommended a renewed focus by county officials on promoting positive news in the region. 

The final recommendation of the committee isn't surprising.  However, it is surprising that it took the formation of a committee, and several meetings, to reach the seemingly obvious conclusion.  The time spent debating the merits of the Time magazine article would have been better utilized channeling a positive energy or a renewed action plan to address the regional drug abuse problem. 

Although I'm sure many people got excited when they heard that Time magazine was in town, its obvious not everyone was prepared to accept the final published report that hit newsstands across the nation.  There was a concern expressed by some officials that the article could cast a negative light on the county, and Southwest Virginia in general, and negatively deter future tourism efforts. 

While certainly a valid concern, I don't necessarily think we will have to worry about tourists canceling their planned visits to the Pocahontas Exhibition Mine, the Breaks Interstate Park, or the Historic Crab Orchard Museum in Tazewell. 

The national attention also won't stop the construction of the state prison in Pocahontas, or slow progress on the regional industrial park plans in Bluefield or Richlands.  Although the large-scale drug court planned by officials to reach first-time non-violent drug offenders wasn't mentioned in great detail, it's also doubtful that the article will have any impact on the pending federal grant application for the project. 

Although a window for positive national attention may have been lost, the time wasted debating the merits of the article could have been better spent addressing solutions to the drug problem, such as the new drug court. 

The epidemic abuse of prescription narcotics is a regional problem that is not limited just to the borders of Tazewell County.  It's a threat across southern West Virginia and Southwest Virginia, and it will take a continued and coordinating regional approach to curtail this growing scourge. 

Yes, it's unfortunate that a few of the positive things under way in Tazewell County, such as the state prison or small business incubator in Richlands, went without notice in the article.  However, the purpose of the article wasn't to report on tourism or industrial parks.  It was instead a frank look at an alarming drug problem in a small community.  We could belabor this argument forever and it won't change a magazine issue that many have already forgotten about. 

The anger that was targeted toward this particularly story would be better served if it was channeled toward some type of community service - be it a neighborhood watch program or a drug-awareness initiative - aimed at helping to prevent the rampant abuse of prescription narcotics. 

If officials are successful in eradicating this regional drug scourge, maybe Time magazine will be willing to come back to the area and report on how a small community overcame an overwhelming epidemic. 

That would certainly be a story worth reporting on.