Student opioid abuse awareness contest deadline nears

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A contest deadline is approaching for West Virginia schoolchildren to raise awareness of prescription painkiller abuse.

The Kids Kick Opioids contest is open to elementary and middle school students. It can include poems, drawings, letters or anything that promotes awareness of painkiller abuse. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said the deadline to enter is Friday.

Students can work individually or in groups. The winning entry will be used in Morrisey’s next statewide newspaper public service advertisement. Regional winners will be displayed in the state Capitol.

Entries can be mailed to the Attorney General’s Office or sent by email.

West Virginia has by far the nation’s highest death rate from drug overdoses.

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Kassie Simmons
Kassie Simmons joined the team in January 2019 as a weekend journalist. She graduated from Virginia Tech in just two and a half years with a BA in multimedia journalism. During her short time at Virginia Tech, she served as the editor for the university’s chapter of The Tab. Kassie was named the top reporter for The Tab at Virginia Tech on multiple occasions and made the list for the top 30 reporters for The Tab in the U.S. She also studied theater performance and minored in creative writing. Before coming to WOAY, Kassie interned at WSLS in Roanoke and the Tidewater Review in her hometown of West Point, Va. She has loved following breaking news since her childhood and has a passion for delivering the stories people care most about. Kassie is excited to be working in Southern West Virginia and looks forward to all the adventures ahead of her. You can follow her on Twitter at @KassieLSimmons and like her page on Facebook. If you have a story you think she should check out, send her an email at ksimmons@woay.com.