Jim Justice on Drugs

	Jim Justice on Drugs

Partnership to bring prevention programs to all schools

In conjunction with the West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute has established a partnership, now get this, with the world renowned Hazelden-Betty Ford Foundation to bring evidence based prevention programs for opioid and substance abuse to all students in West Virginia schools. It is unbelievable. Source: 2021 State of the State Address to West Virginia legislature , Feb 10, 2021

Create Narcotics Intelligence Unit strike force

I am ordering Secretary Jeff Sandy to form a new unit called a Narcotics Intelligence Unit. A new unit at the Fusion Center. It will be a strike force. I'm going to ask you for $1.9 million. And I'm going to ask you to give us that to stop this terrible effort. I want to look right in the camera and tell anybody that is trying to come into our state with drugs: We are going to bust your ass. Source: 2020 West Virginia State of the State address , Jan 8, 2020

Jobs & Hope: $29.7 million to guide people in recovery

Gov. Jim Justice, who is running for re-election last week kicked off the Jobs & Hope program that combines recovery efforts with workforce training. The concept previously had been called "Jim's Dream."

"This started with just a dream," Justice said last week. "We've got drugs affecting every family in this state, one way or another. We have to do something about it."

Jobs & Hope includes $29.7 million in funding for its first year and employs transition agents to guide people in recovery as they overcome obstacles such as transportation and move toward job training.

[Democratic opponent Woody] Thrasher, speaking on MetroNews "Talkline," said the Justice administration has dealt too inconsistently with a pervasive problem. "There is no concerted effort and plan to deal with this problem in West Virginia," Thrasher said. "We have to do better than we're doing.

Source: W.V. MetroNews on 2020 West Virginia Gubernatorial race , Oct 24, 2019

Jim's Dream: job training program for drug addicts

We've got to fix the drug problem. The very number one thing you had to have to get the drug problem halfway under control is jobs. But you know what? We're losing the battle. We're losing. So I'm going to ask you tonight to trust me. I'm going to propose a program called "Jim's Dream." because I want it to be just that. I want it to be a dream that we can take our people off this terrible drug trail, and we can put them in a job, and we can give them real live hope.

Why don't we some way, somehow, let our people that are struggling on drugs beyond belief go get treatment for free, provided that they'll come out of treatment and go into some level of training and provided they'll take constant drug tests?

If I'm an addict, and I go to treatment and I get better and then I go into some level of training and I get a certificate, that I will be able to take that to a court and get immediate expungement of a misdemeanor that I have. Not felonies, but a misdemeanor.

Source: 2019 State of the State address to West Virginia legislature , Jan 9, 2019

Jim's Dream: $10M for equipment at vo-tech training centers

I'm going to call this "Jim's Dream," because I want it to be just that. I want it to be a dream that we can take our people off this terrible drug trail, and we can put them in a job, and we can give them real live hope.

It's going to take some money to do this. Not all the money in the world.

The "J" is going to stand for "jobs." The "I" is going to be "in." The "M" is going to be "making." And the little apostrophe is upside down, and we twisted it around to make a "U." "Succeed." Now, looks a little funny, doesn't it? But it looks pretty much like I'd probably write.

But here's what I think we need to do: I think our best alternative today is the adult training in the education department. And here's the problem: Nobody's really going today. The reason nobody's really going is it's not real training that they can go get a real job. But what I'm going to ask you for is $10,000,000 for staffing and replacement and maintenance of equipment at the training centers, at the vo-tech centers.

Source: 2019 State of the State address to West Virginia legislature , Jan 9, 2019

Adamantly opposed to recreational marijuana, but medical ok

As far as medical cannabis, we need to solve the riddle, guys. We're running out of time. There's a lot of people out there that are hurting, and they could probably very well use medical cannabis.

I want everyone here to understand -- I am adamantly, adamantly, etched in stone, adamantly against recreational marijuana.

Source: 2019 State of the State address to West Virginia legislature , Jan 9, 2019

We have to have stiffer laws to fix the drug problem

I want to fix the drug problem. If we don't fix the drug problem in this state, it will cannibalize you. We have to have stiffer laws. There's no question whatsoever, a drug pusher that rolls in here from Detroit and selling drugs, he ought to know that this is not going to be a fun program if we catch him. We absolutely have to have a pathway to get our people that are hooked on these terrible drugs back into the community of the workforce. We have to do something with all the prescription drugs. No question whatsoever about that. But we have to have treatment facilities too.

I would propose today if we do this, and those dollars flow, I would propose immediately building a facility in Charleston, one in the Eastern Panhandle, and I know the veterans are waiting on the dollars to come from the fireworks tax and everything to build their facility in Beckley. And I would like to skim off some of this money to help them be able to get that facility built.

Source: 2017 West Virginia State of the State address , Feb 8, 2017

Three-pronged attack to go after the drug runners

Stop the flow of out-of-state drug dealers that are poisoning our people. Jim will work with law enforcement to crack down on the supply of illegal drugs coming into West Virginia and crippling our communities. West Virginia cannot win the battle against addiction until we stop drugs from entering the state.
Provide treatment to West Virginians suffering from addiction.

Source: 2016 W.V. governor campaign website JusticeForWV.com , Nov 16, 2015

Support the expansion of drug courts

Jim will support increased access to drug and alcohol treatment programs for people who need them. He'll be compassionate, but firm with those addicted to drugs by offering them support services if they turn over their drugs to authorities in exchange for help and agree to monitored sobriety. Justice supports the expansion of drug courts, and will work with local communities to help those who desperately want to make a change. Source: 2016 W.V. governor campaign website JusticeForWV.com , Nov 16, 2015

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*Other governors on Drugs:*			*Jim Justice on other issues:*
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