WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) hosted a Drug Prevention Summit today at the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department in Martinsburg to discuss solutions for combating drug abuse.
Senator Capito is an active advocate for drug prevention and enforcement and has supported several pieces of legislation in the Senate to help combat drug abuse, including The Stop Drugs at the Border Act of 2015, The FDA Accountability for Public Safety Act and The Opioid Overdose Reduction Act of 2015.
Michael Gottlieb, National Program Director of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program in the Office of National Drug Control Policy, gave keynote remarks at today’s event.
Senator Capito’s opening remarks as prepared for delivery:
“Thank you to the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department for hosting us today.
“We are here to discuss the very serious drug epidemic that is wreaking havoc on our state.
“My hope is that this event will bring more national attention to the very serious problem that is impacting our communities so that we can marry our efforts at the federal, state and local levels.
“Thank you to our panelists for taking the time to share your expertise and unique perspective on today’s topic.
“I want to especially thank Michael Gottlieb, National Director of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program for the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
“Michael, thank you for traveling from Washington, D.C. to join us today and for contributing your very valuable perspective to this conversation.
“Additional speakers we will be hearing from today include:
“Bill Ihlenfeld, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia.
“Tom Carr is Executive Director for the Washington-Baltimore region of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program.
“Jeff Cisar, Special Agent with the FBI’s Martinsburg Office.
“Kathy Stevens-Butts, who will share her very personal story with us today.
“Kathy, thank you so much for joining us. I am so sorry for the loss of your daughter, and I applaud your bravery and all the work you do to help others affected by drug addiction.
“Kenneth LeMaster, Berkeley County Sherriff.
“James Foley, Manager of Curriculum Development for the National White Collar Crime Center.
“I’d also like to thank all of you in the audience.
“Many of you are the people on the ground that support the victims and families as they recover and adjust to life after trauma.
“I applaud your work and look forward to hearing from you later in the program.
“I appreciate your dedication and desire to learn more about this issue as we work together toward a solution.
“When I began to learn more about the drug abuse statistics in our state, I was devastated by the number of lives being lost in West Virginia.
“West Virginia leads the nation in overdose deaths. And because we are such a small state, we feel this pain more than most.
“This issue crosses all boundaries of age, race and gender. It does not discriminate.
“Twenty-five to 34 was the average age range of heroin-related overdoses in West Virginia from 2009-2013.
“Far too many West Virginians have been affected by the loss of a family member or friend because of a drug overdose.
“Solving West Virginia’s drug problem will take efforts from customs and border patrol, public health officials, pharmacies, addiction and treatment facilities and many others.
“We must combine resources at the local, state and federal levels to develop a comprehensive strategy.
“One of my priorities as West Virginia’s newest Senator is to bring more attention and resources to the table so we can tackle this problem.
“In February, I introduced bipartisan legislation to address heroin and methamphetamine trafficking along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“We also need to bring more accountability to the FDA and ensure that medications are thoroughly reviewed before approval.
“Lastly, we need to protect first responders, medical professionals and family members who are educated in administering overdose prevention drugs in emergency situations of overdose.
“I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Senate to determine bipartisan actions we can take to address this problem head on.
“One of the reasons I am holding this Drug Prevention Summit is to learn more about what steps we need to be taking at the federal level.
“We need to explore all available resources to combat the drug epidemic, and we should be taking advantage of every opportunity to collaborate at the federal, state and local levels.”
Senator Capito moderated a panel at the summit featuring: Michael Gottlieb, National Program Director, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program, Office of National Drug Control Policy; Bill Ihlenfeld, U.S. Attorney, Northern District of West Virginia; Tom Carr, Executive Director, Washington-Baltimore HIDTA; Jeff Cisar, Special Agent, FBI Martinsburg Office; Kathy Stevens-Butts, mother and advocate; Kenneth LeMaster, Sheriff, Berkeley County; and James Foley, Manager of Curriculum Development, National White Collar Crime Center.