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Roundtable Discussions Focus On Prescription Drug Abuse
By: Associated Press
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Two roundtable meetings will focus on efforts to fight prescription drug abuse and trafficking in West Virginia.
U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Congressman Nick Rahall will participation in the discussions Thursday in Huntington and Charleston. Expected to join them are White House Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske and U.S. attorney Booth Goodwin.
The discussions will include law enforcement efforts to address doctor offices and pharmacies that over-prescribe addictive medicines. Other subjects include information sharing and training initiatives among drug task forces, and greater public access to substance abuse and mental health treatment programs.
Rockefeller and Rahall have reintroduced bills to fight prescription drug abuse. Sen. Joe Manchin is a co-sponsor of Rockefeller's Senate bill. A similar bill introduced in 2011 never came up for a vote in the Senate.