STAGGERING ADDICTION STATISTICS AN ALARMING REMINDER OF THE AREA'S DRUG PROBLEM

It was just about four years ago when law enforcement officials declared
that rampant abuse of OxyContin had reached epidemic levels in Tazewell
County. Today, the problem apparently remains widespread as hundreds from
across Southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia are still flocking to
a methadone treatment facility near Cedar Bluff. I was surprised last week
to learn that 700 patients are still receiving treatment at the clinic with
the majority of them still being treated for addiction to OxyContin.

I guess I was expecting the numbers to be a little lower when I called the
Clinch Valley Treatment Center, and spoke with Ed Ohlinger, regional
director of outpatient services at the clinic. I know the drug problem is
still a significant dilemma for law enforcement officials in Tazewell
County, but I didn't realize the magnitude of the numbers who are still
seeking treatment at the clinic, and this doesn't include related regional
treatment facilities in Galax and Roanoke.

Ohlinger said of the 700 patients currently receiving treatment in Tazewell
County, more than 86 percent of the patients are from Virginia; 10 percent
are from southern West Virginia; 1 percent from Kentucky; and 3 percent are
from the Bristol area of Tennessee.

Methadone treatment clinics hope to improve the quality of life of patients
with the ultimate goal of a drug-free lifestyle. Ohlinger said more than 75
percent of the patients at the facility in Tazewell County are employed,
which is an important step toward a drug-free lifestyle. However, with the
treatment also comes controversy. It's no secret that most people don't
want a methadone treatment clinic in their neighborhood, and the idea of
using one one drug to treat another can certainly be a baffling concept.

Although the Clinch Valley Treatment Center has been open in Tazewell
County for more than three years, Ohlinger said officials are still
fighting to overcome the negative perception. It is easy to argue that such
clinics are trading one drug for another, but Ohlinger said you rarely hear
about the counseling and medical components associated with such
facilities. He said the length of treatment varies per patient, but can
certainly span over a period of months, if not longer.

However, with a growing number of fatal overdoses in the region being
attributed to the abuse of prescription narcotics such as methadone, it is
probably safe to assume that the debate over such treatment methods will
continue well into the future. A recent report by the Virginia Department
of Health warned of an alarming number of drug overdoses in Southwest
Virginia, and prosecutors in both Virginia and West Virginia are
increasingly pursuing the use of the felony murder doctrine for those who
illegally give prescription narcotics to others and are then blamed for
their overdose deaths.

Although help is available locally for those who are addicted to OxyContin
and other forms of prescription narcotics, the fact that hundreds are still
seeking treatment for such an addiction is quite unsettling. These
staggering statistics are an alarming reminder of the region's horrific
drug problem, and should be seen as a call for action by the community,
including law-enforcement, elected officials, concerned citizens and others.

Four years after the abuse of OxyContin had reached epidemic levels in
Tazewell County, the threat is still very real in southern West Virginia
and Southwest Virginia. As the region's drug war continues, hundreds also
are continuing to seek help to escape the grip of addiction.