By Samantha Cart
In 2008, West Virginia had the highest rate of deaths related to prescription drug overdoses in the United States. The Mountain State and the surrounding region have led national trends concerning prescription drug abuse and misuse, and while the physical and mental aspects have been devastating, prescription drugs are costing more than lives. The economic burden incurred by West Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky due to the criminal justice costs, loss in worker productivity and treatment totals $2.72 billion annually. Nationally, the loss of productivity, premature death, unemployment and incarcerated individuals comes at a price tag of $42 billion every year.
Prescription drugs now take more lives each year than vehicular accidents and twice as many as heroin and cocaine combined. According to the 2013 Appalachian Summit on Prescription Drug Abuse, for every overdose death, 10 people are admitted to treatment facilities, 32 visit the emergency room and 825 use a prescription pill for a nonmedical reason. Prescription drug abuse is rising in 18-25 year olds, and 2,500 youths try prescription pills for the first time every day. The ripple effect is widespread and complex; West Virginia’s drug problem has led to increased criminal activity, such as burglary and shoplifting, and given rise to a growing heroin market in Appalachia. Due to the tightened regulations on prescription drugs, increased prosecution of illegal distribution and the prevalence of opioid addiction, heroin use is on the rise.
Booth Goodwin is the United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. Goodwin has been speaking on the state’s drug dependency since he was appointed in 2010 and works with entities like the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on educational information and events like the annual Prescription Drug “Take-Back” event. His office focuses on pursuing and shutting down illegal pill and heroin trafficking, eliminating open-air drug markets and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in West Virginia communities in order to better the lives of West Virginians and ease the strain on the economy. “Drug abuse has reached epidemic proportions,” Goodwin says. “It is having a detrimental impact on every segment of our society, and the business community has certainly not been immune. It has become increasingly difficult for employers to find and maintain a drug-free work force.”
According to Goodwin, drug abuse and subsequent addiction has torn families apart and put entire communities in danger. “The people in this state are extremely hard working, and many of our residents make a living working with their hands. When folks get injured, they still need to work and often are prescribed pain medication or were prescribed painkillers after surgery. A lot of addicts get started on drugs from the pharmacy from a legitimate prescription. They have no intention at all of ever breaking the law, but then one pill leads to another, and when the prescription is gone, they find themselves craving more. We also have a large population of senior citizens who often need prescription medication. Many young people first experiment with pills they have taken from parents’ or grandparents’ medicine cabinets.”
While the majority of employers in the United States are not required to drug test according to the United States Department of Labor, those that do administer drug tests to potential employees in West Virginia are finding it more and more difficult to obtain a suitable work force. Because the number of people addicted to drugs continues to grow, West Virginia jobs are often outsourced to workers from surrounding states. Coupled with the money spent on state legal aid and state-funded treatment, the drug problem has serious, tangible effects on the economy.
Lieutenant A.C. Napier of the Charleston Police Department partners with Goodwin; John Foster, U.S. Marshall for the Southern District of West Virginia and Major General James A. Hoyer in the fight against prescription drug abuse. The team has traveled to more than 40 schools to promote drug awareness. “Law enforcement is not going to be able to prosecute their way out of this problem; it’s going to take the work of professionals and others to work together,” says Napier. “I think we have to approach this as a team. One person is not going to be able to do it. We need more treatment options in West Virginia, people who will support it, people to spread awareness. We need to take it from all angles. It starts as small as our families. There are a lot of issues we have to address, not just go straight to arresting and prosecuting. We can’t just speak in schools; we need a collaborative approach.”
Napier has spent his entire career in drug-related law enforcement. He was the commander of the Metro Drug Unit and now works in the Investigative Services Bureau. “The majority of crime revolves around the drug issue. Hence, the majority of the resources are dedicated to fighting the problem in a proactive way, via the drug unit, the special enforcement unit or by the detectives in the criminal investigative division,” he says. This is yet another example of the economic burden of drug abuse.
The United States jails more people than any country in the world, but according to Napier, this is not changing the number of people addicted to drugs. “The solution can’t just be to put people in prison—we have to work with those who are coming out of prison. We need to motivate people. I think we have some issues here in West Virginia, including our jobs. When people can’t get jobs or aren’t making a living, they get somewhat depressed, and that could play a part in them ending right back where they started.”
Karen Yost, CEO of Prestera Center for Mental Health Services, works with individuals with drug addictions every day and believes that recovered addicts could make a great work force. “The people I work with could be productive members of the work force, but they’re unable to get a job because of their history,” says Yost. A drug charge can follow a person around forever. Because of this, many former drug addicts have problems gaining employment and public housing. “There are so many other parts of our society for which the use of drugs becomes a barrier, and it makes it very difficult for people to get and keep their lives together. Getting in recovery is a huge step, but there are so many other layers of challenges.”
Prestera works in treatment, recovery and prevention by coordinating local prevention efforts and coalitions, administering medication-assisted treatment and group therapy programs. “We believe many individuals who have drug problems have other problems too, such as depression, trauma issues, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, bi-polar disorder and other mood disorders,” says Yost. “We treat co-occurring disorders with evidence-based practices, such as peer support with other individuals who are also in recovery. Our staff is trained to work with individuals with trauma and conduct motivational interviews, a tactic for how you engage people in treatment.”
Goodwin is confident West Virginia can address its drug problem and the consequential economic burden. He envisions a drug-free workplace that decreases the cost of doing business in West Virginia and increases the productivity and profits. “The most valuable resource in this state is its people,” he says. “By working together, we have made great progress in addressing the issues relating to drug abuse. Law enforcement alone will not solve the drug problem. Communication is the key: sharing information about the signs and consequences of drug abuse, reaching out to those fighting addiction and providing them with information on where and how to get help. Community collaboration is important in developing effective, multifaceted strategies to address the myriad ways drug abuse affects our society. We all have a role in creating solutions to address the problem.”
