UNLAWFUL METHADONE USE TARGETED

CHARLESTON - With crimes involving the abuse of methadone on the rise
across southern West Virginia, area law enforcement officials are
seeking improved cooperation with those clinics that prescribe the
highly potent narcotic.

In hopes of improving communication and cooperation between the police
and clinic administrators, area law enforcement officials, including
Princeton Police Chief Casey Martin and members of the Southern
Regional Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, met Monday in Charleston
with clinic directors from Beckley, Williamson, Charleston and
Huntington as part of a gathering coordinated by Delegate Marshall
Long, D-Mercer.

Long said the ultimate goal of law enforcement is to reduce or
eliminate the possibility of methadone prescribed by a clinic being
sold or diverted to the streets for illegal usage.

"The officers detailed how they were buying liquid methadone on the
streets that had been dispensed from the methadone clinics, and the
methadone clinics told them how their procedures work," Long said. "I
think it was a real success. Everyone exchanged cards and they plan on
meeting again in December."

The number of criminal cases involving the illegal usage of methadone
is on the increase in Mercer County, including several recent homicide
investigations stemming from fatal overdoses of methadone, Assistant
Prosecuting Attorney Timm Boggess said.

Boggess said a methadone clinic proposed for Mercer County could
create additional problems.

"Well obviously, I would like to see more cooperation between them
(clinic directors and law enforcement), but I also would like to see
no methadone clinics in the state, and I definitely don't want any in
our area," Boggess said. "I just think it is asking for problems."

Boggess said methadone is a very dangerous and highly addictive
narcotic.

"It is probably one of the most dangerous and easy to overdose on,"
Boggess said. "It is very easily overdosed when you are not using it
under medical supervision, and when these people get out and start
distributing it on the street."

Boggess said prosecutors believe several of the criminal cases in
Mercer County involving methadone can be traced back to the clinics.