Bi-Partisan Support For Beer-Tax Increase

Will a proposed beer-tax increase fund the state's substance abuse prevention and treatment?

That's the early word in Charleston, where there's bipartisan support for a 1 cent or 2 cent per bottle or can rise in the beer tax, according to The Charleston Gazette. A similar bill failed last year.

But sponsors, including Delegate Bill Hamilton, R-Upshur County, say that the additional $10 million raised would help fight the state's drug problem. Hamilton's 30-something-year-old son has faced substance abuse issues and said that it's too big a problem to not address.

"There's one thing about getting rid of a drug dealer," Hamilton told the Gazette. "When you get rid of one -- you take them off the corner of Buckhannon or Parkersburg or Huntington -- you've got another one. ... Let's take away their customers."

The Register-Herald of Beckley, WV, quoted Delegate Barbara Hatfield, D-Kanawha, as saying that she'd support the bill.

"We have children, we have teen-agers, ruining their lives by being on drugs," Hatfield said.

Students Asked To Submit Ideas

The Underage Drinking Prevention and Social Marketing Project is pleased to announce its PSA Challenge, a statewide peer-led public service announcement (PSA) video competition to help spread the word that "21 Means 21."

The PSA Challenge will identify and reward the state's best student-led PSA projects. West Virginia's middle school, high school, and college and university students are invited to enter the contest by submitting their PSAs to the West Virginia Prevention Resource Center by March 31, 2010. The best projects -- based on creativity, originality, message and overall presentation -- will be selected. The project is funded by the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws program. The program is administered in West Virginia by the Division of Criminal Justice Services.

In this program, teams of youth from around the state develop PSAs, which are then judged by a team of media and prevention professionals. After the winners are announced in April, selected teams (and adult sponsors) will come to Charleston to fine-tune their scripts and tour the radio and television production facilities. Then, the selected teams and adult sponsors will come back to Charleston for one day (all expenses paid) to film and record their PSAs. The PSAs will be distributed statewide.

Information about the Underage Drinking Prevention and Social Marketing Project is available online or by calling Stephanie Anthony at (304) 766-6301 ext. 25.

Substance Abuse Issues Top of Mind in West Virginia Legislature

A story aired today on West Virginia Public Broadcasting talks about the chances -- which aren't good -- that state taxes will be raised. One of the reasons why it might happen is to fund the state's initiatives on substance abuse.

Delegate Don Perdue, D-Wayne, said that the state's substance abuse issues will cost now or they will cost later.

"We know that there are at least 40,000 untreated addicts in the state of West Virginia," Perdue told West Virginia Public Broadcasting. "We also know that fully 20 percent of pregnant females in West Virginia have a substance abuse problem."

Parity Required for Substance Abuse Treatment

The federal government has ruled that insurers can't deny coverage to people who have substance abuse disorders.

Group health plans that offer mental health and substance abuse benefits must fund out-of-pocket costs, benefit limits and other practices the same as they would for other claims. The rules are spelled out in the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, according to HealthDayNews through Business Week.

"These practices must be based on the same level of scientific evidence used by the insurer for medical and surgical benefits," the U.S. Health and Human Services Department said in a news release. "For example, a plan may not apply separate deductibles for treatment related to mental health or substance abuse disorders and medical and surgical benefits -- they must be calculated as one limit."

SAMHSA To Administer Surveys

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is contacting 200,000 households in 50 states about drug use, the Associated Press reports.

The survey takes about an hour and SAMHSA, along with its partner the Research Triangle Institute will be offering $30 for participation.