After two and half months in the hands of legal counsel, an employee drug proposal is ready for action by the Kanawha County Commission. But Commission President Kent Carper said the plan would not be approved until it's discussed with all county officials. "I want our elected officials to see it," Carper said. "They should have the opportunity to comment on it before we do anything." The commission will unveil the proposal to officials at a regular meeting on Thursday. [continues 376 words]
Three corrections officers at the Central Regional Jail in Braxton County have been charged with bringing tobacco and drugs into the jail for inmates and at least one fellow officer. State Police arrested the officers late Thursday and early Friday at their homes in Nicholas and Braxton counties, said Trooper Bill Huddleston at the Sutton detachment. All three have been charged with conspiracy. Two have been charged with illegally bringing items into the jail and selling them for profit. Huddleston said information is "cascading" out of the investigation and additional personnel at the jail might face charges. [continues 347 words]
Drug's Bad Press Shouldn't Harm Treatment For Addiction The recent increase in negative perceptions of methadone as a treatment for opiate addiction and the potential that has for limiting treatment alternatives for the citizens of West Virginia is a cause for concern in the health care community. I am a member of the Board of Directors of CRC Health Group, Inc. -- as well as someone who is proud to have spent a significant amount of my professional life supporting effective drug and alcohol treatment. [continues 663 words]
Drug Testing Should Be Required for State's Student Athletes A proposal to require drug testing for student athletes deserves support. There's no disputing that drug problems in general have become an increasing plague in West Virginia and in the whole country. Measures to stem the tide need to be considered, especially in the sports arena. Too many athletes have already made national headlines for drug use, and those convicted have set a horrible example. Steroids have long been a troublesome issue, especially as the bar of competition continues to rise and more money is at stake. [continues 308 words]
WELCH -- A two-state operation Friday targeted close to 100 suspects on drug-related charges between McDowell and Buchanan counties, officials said. In McDowell County, officials had arrested 42 of 47 individuals as of late Friday evening on delivery, conspiracy and fugitive from justice charges, Sheriff Danny Mitchell said. In Buchanan County, officials had arrested 31 of 52 individuals indicted on drug-related charges as of late Friday, Sheriff Ray Foster said. Authorities in both counties were still searching for individuals late Friday. [continues 679 words]
A top Republican lawmaker wants tighter controls on clinics that prescribe methadone, just as a new federal study shows West Virginia suffering from the fastest-growing rate of methadone overdoses in the country. Sen. Don Caruth, who was elected Senate minority leader in December, said Tuesday he wants the Legislature to look at regulating the way methadone is used in drug treatment facilities. In particular, the Mercer County Republican wants to examine drug testing requirements at the clinics, and explore the possibility of mandating a process by which methadone users could be weaned off the drug. [continues 209 words]
Number Drops From 37 in 2005 to 16 in 2006 Putnam County Sheriff Mark Smith believes law enforcement officials have turned a corner in the fight against the methamphetamine drug trade. In 2006, 16 labs were uncovered in Putnam County -- fewer than half the 37 labs found in 2005. This year's drop also comes just two years after authorities discovered 50 drug labs at Putnam County sites. Only seven of the 2006 labs were actually being operated when deputies found them. [continues 360 words]
People In Mercer County Are Concerned Over The Possibility Of A Methadone Clinic PRINCETON -- A recent drug sweep in Mercer County has people second-guessing the need for a methadone clinic in their county. Residents are worried about the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs being at these clinics. During the sweep, police found prescriptions of liquid methadone. They believe people are taking the liquid methadone from local treatment centers and using it for sale on the streets. Police caution that mixing liquid methadone with other illegal substances can be fatal and several overdoses have been reported this year. [continues 84 words]
Putnam Is Expected to Be the First County to Do So but the Practice May Soon Become a Common One Across County Lines. WINFIELD -- Putnam County employees are about to be held accountable for their off-the job behavior. Random drug testing will begin in January for those holding safety-sensitive positions. "Would you want someone showing up, like me in my position, answering a call under the influence of a narcotic?" asked Putnam County Sheriff's Deputy Chas Ashley. "I just think it'll hold everyone accountable for their actions." [continues 200 words]
America the Stockade THE International Center for Prison Studies, part of King's College in London, has published a new study of prisoners in various countries. China, the world's most populous nation with nearly 1.3 billion residents, has 1,548,498 people in cells, putting it second on the worldwide list. America, with 300 million people, has 2,186,230 locked up -- ranking first by a wide margin. Other nations in the top 10 of jail populations are: Russia, 869,814; Brazil, 361,402; India, 332,112; Mexico, 214,450; Ukraine, 165,716; Thailand, 164,443; South Africa, 157,402; and Iran 147,926. [continues 195 words]
Kanawha County is one step closer to a drug testing policy for employees after commissioners agreed to hire lawyers to oversee the effort. The commission voted Thursday to hire local attorney Jan Fox to advise the commission before it implements such a policy. Commissioner Dave Hardy said he hopes the county will adopt a plan similar to the one used by the City of Charleston. He said Fox should review that plan and make it fit the county's needs. "It's exactly what we want and I can't imagine why anyone would oppose it," Hardy said. "It's a very fair policy." [continues 454 words]
Kids across America are warned to stay away from "nose candy" in anti-drug campaigns. But a Kanawha County student is fighting his suspension for pretending to put actual candy up his nose. According to a lawsuit filed in Kanawha Circuit Court Monday, a student-athlete at Sissonville High School was given Smarties candy as a reward for good academic performance. In front of his teacher and fellow classmates, the student pretended to put one of the small candy discs up his nose. Another student used his cell phone to record video of the incident. [continues 352 words]
KANAWHA County school officials were shocked earlier this year to learn that an elementary school principal had been arrested and charged with possession of cocaine. Dismayed, the board of education began talking about testing all school employees for drugs. The board's concern is not only understandable, it is necessary. Children are required by law to attend schools. The board is responsible for maintaining a safe environment there. Not long thereafter, the issue came up in Putnam County. The county's insurance carrier suggested the county amend its personnel policy to require drug tests of new employees, random drug tests of employees in safety-sensitive positions, and upon a supervisors' request, testing of other employees suspected of being under the influence while working. [continues 162 words]
A proposal to open a methadone clinic in Mercer County has led the local Chamber of Commerce to organize a protest caravan headed to Charleston today. California-based CRC Health Group has filed paperwork with the state Health Care Authority seeking approval to start a drug treatment facility using methadone to wean addicts from opium-based drugs like heroin and oxycodone. CRC, the largest for-profit drug treatment provider in the country, reported in its filing with the state that it expects to initially spend $150,000 establishing the facility in Princeton. Thousands of residents, spurred by the Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, have signed a petition objecting to the proposal. - advertisement [continues 299 words]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A proposal to open a methadone clinic in Mercer County has led the local Chamber of Commerce to organize a protest caravan headed to the capital on Tuesday. California-based CRC Health Group has filed paperwork with the state Health Care Authority seeking approval to start a drug treatment facility using methadone to wean addicts from opium-based drugs like heroin and oxycodone. CRC, the largest for-profit drug treatment provider in the country, reported in its filing with the state that it expects to initially spend $150,000 establishing the facility in Princeton. Thousands of residents, spurred by the Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, have signed a petition objecting to the proposal. [continues 300 words]
This is part of an ongoing Gazette investigation of methadone, a drug that has the unique ability to kill if you don't take it exactly as directed, and sometimes even if you do. Methadone "can cause death" if not taken exactly as prescribed, the federal Food and Drug Administration is now warning doctors and patients who take the popular painkiller. On Monday, the FDA issued a public health advisory for methadone, titled "Methadone Use for Pain Control May Result in Death." [continues 942 words]
The company that provides random drug testing for St. Albans city employees is now offering free, random drug screenings for students in St. Albans area schools. The drug screenings are offered as part of a program provided by the city's Drug Prevention Task Force. The task force formed in July, months after two St. Albans High students died from apparent drug overdoses. Students can volunteer to be in a database from which their names might be picked at random for a drug screening. [continues 695 words]
PRINCETON -- On one side of the Mercer-Raleigh county line, methadone maintenance treatment was presented as a solution. On the other, area businesspeople worried the addiction therapy would turn into a scourge. Beckley Treatment Center and CRC Health Group officials opened the Beaver facility's doors Friday in an effort to show the public and people concerned about a proposed Mercer clinic how the operations worked. CRC Health Group, a California-based company that has worked in addiction treatment for the last 10 years, has filed an application for a certificate of need to establish a similar clinic in Mercer County. Vice President of Operations Joe Pritchard estimated 400 Mercer County MMT patients travel beyond county boundaries for their daily doses of methadone in either Beaver or Tazewell, Va. [continues 1915 words]
A representative from the company that does drug testing for Kanawha County school bus drivers countered teachers unions' fears by providing more information about the drug tests and how they're performed. The school board wants to extend the drug tests to teachers, principals and other personnel. "We're very careful to protect a person's privacy, both medically and personally. We don't accompany someone into a restroom or stand behind them. That would only be in extreme cases," said Randy Pauley, an employee with Examination Management Systems Inc. [continues 641 words]
West Virginia Dilemma SENSIBLE people can't understand why part of the population craves illicit drugs -- even risking jail, health damage or job loss. Perhaps dope users are dissatisfied with their lives, and want to flee into narcotic dreamland. Some addicts may be like alcoholics, with body chemistry that makes them susceptible. West Virginia has acquired a high ratio of drug abusers, according to a long report in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The paper quoted Joe Ciccarelli, former FBI chief for the southern half of the state: [continues 498 words]
Inside West Virginia
