It all depends on what you call it.
For example, if the United States is at peace, then each governmental department and branch of the military works in a particular way. But, according to our laws, if the USA actually declares war on another country and is officially at war, things change. The Coast Guard comes under the auspices of the US Navy and the government suddenly has the authority to wield power over the citizens in ways that it didn’t beforehand. That’s why so many military actions have been called “Presidential actions” rather than offical wars, even though the public often refers to them that way.
Similarly, it was important to Wyoming County to be placed under the auspices of the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area list. For over a month, news articles had told of the problems with prescription pill abuse – some consider Wyoming to have the worst problems around.
And yet, when the list came out, nearby Mercer County was put under the HIDTA “umbrella” but Wyoming was not.
The Democratic Representative Nick Rahall commented that having the designation would bring more federal sources would be used in the county to help in the war against prescription drug abuse and trafficking in southern West Virginia. Converse, not having that designation leaves the county with fewer resources to fight the problem.
The executive director of the faith-based “One Voice,” Debra Curry-Davis, stated that, “We’ve had more deaths so far this year than we had the entire year of 2010.”
“We have over 50 students at the close of school year that have been identified as homeless. My question is, what does Wyoming County have to do to obtain one (HIDTA designation)?”
Apparently the task force that includes nearby Mercer County will be of some benefit to Wyoming. But the residents are still left wondering what level of devastation they have to fall to in order to receive the “title” and be included, just as Putnam, Boone, Cabell, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, McDowell, Mingo, and Wayne Counties were.
In the meantime, the fight goes on with the resources that exist.
