Capito: New HIDTA Assessment Underscores Need for Solutions to Drug Epidemic

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) welcomed a new assessment by the Washington-Baltimore High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) that highlights the devastating impact of heroin addiction in Berkeley County. At a drug prevention summit hosted by Senator Capito in April, Tom Carr, the executive director of the Washington-Baltimore HIDTA Program, pledged to conduct this assessment of Berkeley County following a sharp increase in heroin overdoses in that area.

“As heroin overdoses rise in Berkeley County, this assessment makes clear that there is a desperate need for substance abuse treatment facilities to meet that demand,” said Senator Capito. “The lack of treatment options is not just a problem for those suffering from addiction. West Virginia’s drug epidemic is hurting businesses seeking to hire new workers and homeowners who are concerned with declining neighborhoods and home values. This HIDTA assessment will help us to better understand what actions are needed at the federal, state and local levels to protect our communities and ensure that West Virginia’s best days are ahead.”

According to the assessment, Berkeley County reported 24 overdose deaths in 2014 compared to 6 overdose deaths in 2010. In 2014, Berkeley County had approximately 71 percent as many fatal overdoses per 100,000 people as the city of Baltimore, Maryland.

The assessment provides background information describing the magnitude of the heroin problem in Berkeley County and recommends possible solutions to address heroin-related treatment needs in the county, including a new Recovery Center and Drug Courts. Senator Capito’s drug prevention summit in April underscored the need for a spectrum of solutions to combat the drug epidemic in West Virginia and around the country.

View the assessment here.

In September 2014, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) announced Berkeley County’s HIDTA designation. The designation enabled the county to receive federal resources to further the coordination and development of drug control efforts among federal, state and local law enforcement officials, and allowed local agencies to benefit from ongoing HIDTA-coordinated initiatives working to reduce drug use and its consequences across the United States.

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