[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16275]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      WEST VIRGINIA'S DRUG CRISIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from West 
Virginia (Mr. Jenkins) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JENKINS of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, President Obama is coming 
to West Virginia today to talk about our State's and Nation's drug 
crisis. What I hope he will also talk about on his visit to our capital 
city, Charleston, what I hope he will acknowledge, is our State's jobs 
crisis. West Virginia has lost good jobs: jobs in our coal mines, jobs 
in our schools and small businesses, jobs in our small towns and 
communities throughout southern West Virginia.
  Regulations from the President's own Environmental Protection Agency 
are forcing coal mines to close. Our coal miners are out of work. Our 
coal families are facing an uncertain future. We have lost an estimated 
43 percent of our coal jobs in just the last 6 years under this 
administration's policies.
  Eighteen percent--18 percent--of unemployed people reported using 
illegal drugs. That is more than twice the number of people who used 
illegal drugs who were employed. The best antidrug policy is a good 
jobs policy.
  West Virginia has the highest overdose rate in the country. We also 
have the highest unemployment rate in the country. Nearly every family 
in this State has been touched by drug abuse and, tragically, far too 
many families. There are those who have suffered and actually buried a 
loved one due to the horrible disease of addiction.
  The President will announce several initiatives to help address the 
heroin and opioid crisis. He is going to talk about prescriber 
training. He is going to talk about access to naloxone, a powerful 
antidote to an overdose. He is going to talk about public education.

                              {time}  1045

  He is going to talk about public education. These are all excellent 
steps. These are actually things we already are doing in West Virginia. 
We have taken great strides on many fronts, including these in West 
Virginia, to arrest this problem.
  These proposals, however, I am afraid, do not go far enough to really 
make a difference and treat those battling addiction. The President 
needs to propose a strong plan to get people real treatment to address 
their addictions and become healthy and productive members of society 
again.
  Many West Virginians who want treatment don't have anywhere to go. 
Those suffering from addiction are forced to leave West Virginia to 
find help, treatment, and their families are falling apart.
  To improve West Virginia, to give West Virginians hope for a better 
future, to give them an alternative to destructive lifestyles, we have 
to get people back to work.
  Mr. President, a good job solves a lot of problems.
  West Virginians are a proud people. We are not asking for a handout. 
We want to do a full day's work for a full day's pay.
  The administration is crushing West Virginia's coal miners, 
machinists, healthcare workers, truckers, small business owners, and 
Main Street.
  Mr. President, if you want to help win the war on drugs, stop your 
war on coal. What we need is the Federal Government to get out of the 
way of West Virginia, and let us get back to work.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Olson). Members are reminded to address 
their remarks to the Chair.

                          ____________________