West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito hosted a roundtable discussion with Michael Botticelli, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy at West Virginia University. Sen. Capito, Director Botticelli, and local drug prevention experts discussed efforts to expand evidence-based prevention programs. The goal is to reduce drug use and its consequences.
Director Botticelli explained his reasons for attending the roundtable and showing support for the prevention efforts:
“Senator Capito has been working diligently on this issue and I thank her for her leadership. I am pleased to join so many West Virginia leaders who can work together to stem the consequences of the opioid epidemic,” Botticelli said. “Today’s very productive discussion is an excellent step toward reducing non-medical use of pain medication and West Virginia’s overdose death rate. If we work together to implement evidence-based initiatives, the expected results will follow.”
The roundtable with Botticelli followed a drug prevention summit Sen. Capito hosted in April, which revealed the severe lack of in-patient treatment facilities in rural states.
In addition to the roundtables and summits, Sen. Capito is pursuing solutions through legislation. She introduced the Stop Drugs at the Border Act of 2015 with Senator Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) to combat increased heroin and methamphetamine trafficking along the U.S.-Mexico Border. She is also a co-sponsor of The FDA Accountability for Public Safety Act and The Opioid Overdose Reduction Act of 2015.
In a statement about the roundtable discussion, Senator Capito described how drug abuse is ravaging her state:
“West Virginia’s staggering drug statistics are completely unacceptable. One of my top priorities is to bring more attention and resources to tackle the drug epidemic head on,” she said. “I invited Director Botticelli to participate in today’s roundtable to discuss ways we can improve drug treatment and prevention programs, and I’m grateful for his valuable insight. I look forward to continuing to work with Director Botticelli and my colleagues in the Senate to end the devastating disease of drug addiction.”
