Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin issued the following statement after signing two new substance abuse reforms into law. The governor introduced the two proposals as part of his annual State of the State address in January.
“Last night, I was honored to join U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for the opening session of the fifth annual National Prescription Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit to share the work we’re doing in West Virginia to combat the substance abuse epidemic in so many of our communities. Substance abuse has become one of the greatest struggles our state has ever faced, and our work to address these challenges is turning heads among leaders in the fight against substance abuse on the national level.
“That’s why today, I’m proud to have signed into law two of my proposals to strengthen our state’s efforts to give West Virginia’s access to the substance abuse treatment and recovery services they need to return to their families, communities and workplaces.
“Senate Bill 431 strengthens my 2015 proposal to expand access to opioid antagonists, by making Narcan available to any West Virginian – without a prescription. Today, family members and friends of those struggling with addiction can walk into their local pharmacy and purchase this life-saving drug, receive training to safely administer it – giving those struggling with an opioid addiction the opportunity to get help.
“Senate Bill 454 will help us ensure West Virginians in need have access to licensed medication-assisted treatment and recovery services. By establishing licensing requirements for these facilities, we can make sure Suboxone and Methadone are used as part of a comprehensive approach to treatment – that includes behavioral and addiction therapies – to give those seeking treatment the support they need to begin the recovery process.
“These two pieces of legislation are another step forward in our effort to help West Virginians find help and hope here in the Mountain State, and I appreciate the Legislature’s overwhelming support of these initiatives.”
1 Comment
The availability of Narcan has been a huge achievement for our state. Helping reduce personal injury through drug use via Narcan available really has helped numerous communities. Continued access to Narcan and new approaches to treatment, I think, will be a major goal in the coming years.
Here’s a good article showing the drug problem, and the success of some treatments, in Huntington: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/26-heroin-overdoses-west-virginia_us_57b35897e4b0c75f49d8976b