SENATE
HOUSE
JOINT
BILL STATUS
STATE LAW
REPORTS
EDUCATIONAL
CONTACT
home
home

Member's Press Release

Release Date: 03/03/2017
Contact: Jared Hunt at (304) 340-3323


Tim Armstead


Speaker Armstead Praises Passage of Measures to Target Drug Traffickers and Curb Substance Abuse

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – House Speaker Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, praised the passage this week of a bipartisan package of legislation aimed at cracking down on drug traffickers and curbing substance abuse in the state.

The House this week passed several bills to give law enforcement and prosecutors additional tools to go after criminals dealing drugs in the state.

“Substance abuse is a scourge on our state and we must do everything we can to ensure our people are protected from dealers who prey on our citizens,” Speaker Armstead said.

“We must give our children hope to prevent them from becoming addicted in the first place,” Speaker Armstead said. “We must provide treatment those who have become addicted and help free them from addiction. Finally, we must crack down on those who try to profit from the addiction of others by trafficking drugs into our state.”

Bills passed this week include:

  • House Bill 2329, which prohibits the production, manufacture or possession of the powerful opioid pain medication fentanyl.
  • House Bill 2648, which increases penalties for manufacturing or transporting controlled substances in the presence of minors.
  • House Bill 2083, which increases criminal penalties for exposing children to methamphetamine manufacturing.
  • House Bill 2648, which increases penalties for manufacturing or transporting of a controlled substance in the presence of a minor.
  • House Bill 2620, which establishes the West Virginia Drug Overdose Monitoring Act.
  • House Bill 2585, which creates a felony crime of conducting financial transactions involving proceeds of criminal activity.

    “Our police officers, who are fighting on the front lines to combat this epidemic, have been urging us to pass new laws to help them fight against these out-of-state drug traffickers who are targeting our citizens,” Speaker Armstead said. “Specifically, the public wants us to do more to protect innocent victims – especially children – from being exposed to these horrible drugs and drug-related acts.”

    “These bills send a strong message that West Virginia will not tolerate kingpins and traffickers bringing drugs into this state,” said House Judiciary Chairman John Shott, R-Mercer. “These bills aren’t designed to tack on penalties to people charged with simple possession, as some claim, but rather are tailored to fight back against the dealers who take advantage of our citizens struggling with addiction. We want to cut off the supply of this poison as it comes into the state, and these bills go a long way toward cutting down on the drug trade.”

    Speaker Armstead said he appreciated the strong, bipartisan support in passing these bills. Though he noted he was concerned by some of the comments brought up in the floor debates.

    “It was argued several times during the debate of these bills that we shouldn’t be increasing penalties because it may cost more to put drug dealers in jail,” Speaker Armstead said. “The top priority of government is to protect its citizens against those who intend to do them harm. In my opinion, anyone who hides behind a budget deficit to say we shouldn’t prosecute people who prey on innocent citizens – including children – underestimates the harm being done by those who traffic drugs into our state.”

    In addition to the bills passed this week, the House will also consider other bills next week to increase penalties for transporting controlled substances (House Bill 2579), and establish the new crime of organized retail crime (House Bill 2367).




    All Releases

  • This Web site is maintained by the West Virginia Legislature's Office of Reference & Information.  |  Terms of Use  |   Email WebmasterWebmaster   |   © 2024 West Virginia Legislature **