PINEVILLE, WV (WOAY) – “They hear our cries down here in Southern West Virginia and all of these communities about the drug issues.”
A response to those cries comes in the form of the Drug-Free Communities Pandemic Relief Act signed by US Senators last week. The act will continue to offer support to local communities against substance abuse.
“If we can get treatment out there and get these people intro treatment, [it will] hopefully change their lifestyles when it comes to drugs,” said Wyoming County Sheriff Bradley Ellison. “It always saves the county resources.”
Wyoming County is one of several areas that has dealt with drug-abuse issues. Acknowledgement and support from the state is essential in dealing with such a delicate issue.
“They see the problems,” Ellison said. “It does let you know that they do have an eye on it. That they do see what’s happening in communities. So, they’re trying to put it out there to help.”
Regarding the pandemic, local law enforcement has been hit along with so many other parts of the economy. The support from agreements such as this relief act offers a little bit more flexibility in resource allocation.
“We don’t ever know what the economy is going to be like tomorrow,” Ellison said. “If we can save some resources by them giving it to us, we can save that resource that we’ve been putting into it in other areas.
“For the local levels and communities.”
