Obama
targets nation's heroin problem in West Virginia trip
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[October 22, 2015]
By Julia Edwards
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Reuters) - President
Barack Obama highlighted a growing U.S. heroin problem on a trip on
Wednesday to West Virginia, which has been economically battered by a
shrinking coal industry, and which has the highest rate of drug overdose
deaths in the country.
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Democratic West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin traveled with Obama
and warned that many listening to the president would blame the
state's heroin problem on Obama's energy policy, which mandates a
shift toward clean energy and away from coal.
Between 2012 and 2013, West Virginia lost 16 percent of coal jobs,
according to the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information
Administration.
"Anytime you have a loss of jobs, loss of income, loss of purpose,
loss of family, you're going to have people turning to different
things," Manchin told reporters aboard Air Force One. "And that's
why you'll see people today that are very upset about that, that we
have taken it on the chin."
Obama held a panel discussion in Charleston, the state capital, and
said the heroin epidemic is not unique to West Virginia. "We want to
make sure the whole country understands how urgent this problem is,"
he said.
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Law enforcement and healthcare workers in Charleston and nearby
Huntington, seen as seen as West Virginia's heroin hub, say
unemployment, a high injury rate among coal workers and poor access
to drug abuse treatment programs have made the state ground-zero of
a national heroin problem.
In Huntington, police reported seizing 5.5 kg (12.1 pounds) of
heroin in 2013, up from 395 grams (14 ounces) in 2010.
Obama announced plans for federal agencies to ensure that training
is provided for prescribers of opiate-based painkillers, which are
often a gateway to heroin.
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An estimated 45 percent of U.S. heroin users are also addicted to
prescription painkillers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
Obama directed the CDC to invest $8.5 million in opiate addiction
prevention and also will ask for a federal review of barriers to
medication and treatment for opiate addiction.
One Charleston father in the Charleston audience asked Obama why his
heroin-addicted daughter had to travel to Michigan for treatment
because there were no resources available for her at home.
Obama told the man that the tide is shifting on drug policy to
emphasize treatment for addicts. He called on Congress to approve
his $133 million budget request for treatment and prevention
programs.
(Reporting by Julia Edwards; Editing by Paul Simao and Frances
Kerry)
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