Capito seeks full commitment from White House to fight opioid epidemic

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) last week hosted the president’s adviser on drug control issues to highlight the ongoing struggles her state faces in combating the opioid epidemic, which has reached crisis proportions across the United States.

“This epidemic really is a crisis that touches communities across the country and affects people from all walks of life,” said Capito in a statement following the event, which included a roundtable discussion and tour of local recovery organizations in Charleston, West Virginia, with Lawrence Muir, general counsel and acting chief of staff at the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

During the roundtable discussion Aug. 24, Capito also was joined by U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins (R-WV), state and local public health and law enforcement officials, and stakeholders with expertise in drug recovery, prevention and treatment.

The local tours of Rea of Hope and Recovery Point provided Chief Muir an opportunity “to see exactly what West Virginians are facing and why we need the administration’s full commitment to fight this epidemic,” the senator said, adding that Muir’s office is critical to helping stop the opioid crisis.

Currently, 20 of the state’s 55 counties participate in ONDCP’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, one of two programs overseen by Muir’s office that Capito says are crucial to curbing drug addiction in West Virginia. She supports retaining resources for ONDCP in order to operate HIDTA, as well as its Drug-Free Communities program.

“This opioid epidemic has hurt too many families across the country, and that’s especially true here in West Virginia,” said Muir.