(a) The Office of Drug Control Policy is continued within the department. The Director of the Office of Drug Control Policy shall be appointed by the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The director of the office is administratively housed in the Department of Human Services and directly reports to the Office of the Governor, and works in cooperation with the State Health Officer, the Bureau of Public Health, and the Bureau for Behavioral Health.

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(b) The Office of Drug Control Policy shall create a state drug control policy in coordination with the bureaus of the department and other state agencies. This policy shall include all programs which are related to the prevention, treatment, and reduction of substance abuse use disorder.

(c) The Office of Drug Control Policy shall:

(1) Develop a strategic plan to reduce the prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse and smoking by at least 10 percent;

(2) Monitor, coordinate, and oversee the collection of data and issues related to drug, alcohol, and tobacco access, substance use disorder policies, and smoking cessation and prevention, and their impact on state and local programs;

(3) Make policy recommendations to executive branch agencies that work with alcohol and substance use disorder issues, and smoking cessation and prevention, to ensure the greatest efficiency and consistency in practices will be applied to all efforts undertaken by the administration;

(4) Identify existing resources and prevention activities in each community that advocate or implement emerging best practice and evidence-based programs for the full substance use disorder continuum of drug and alcohol abuse education and prevention, including smoking cessation or prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery;

(5) Encourage coordination among public and private, state and local agencies, organizations, and service providers, and monitor related programs;

(6) Act as the referral source of information, using existing information clearinghouse resources within the Department of Health and Human Resources, relating to emerging best practice and evidence-based substance use disorder prevention, cessation, treatment and recovery programs, and youth tobacco access, smoking cessation and prevention. The Office of Drug Control Policy will identify gaps in information referral sources;

(7) Apply for grant opportunities for existing programs;

(8) Observe programs in other states;

(9) Make recommendations and provide training, technical assistance, and consultation to local service providers;

(10) Review existing research on programs related to substance use disorder prevention and treatment and smoking cessation and prevention, and provide for an examination of the prescribing and treatment history, including court-ordered treatment, or treatment within the criminal justice system, of persons in the state who suffered fatal or nonfatal opiate overdoses;

(11) Establish a mechanism to coordinate the distribution of funds to support any local prevention, treatment, and education program based on the strategic plan that could encourage smoking cessation and prevention through efficient, effective, and research-based strategies;

(12) Establish a mechanism to coordinate the distribution of funds to support a local program based on the strategic plan that could encourage substance use prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery through efficient, effective and research-based strategies;

(13) Oversee a school-based initiative that links schools with community-based agencies and health departments to implement school-based anti-drug and anti-tobacco programs;

(14) Coordinate media campaigns designed to demonstrate the negative impact of substance use disorder, smoking and the increased risk of tobacco addiction and the development of other diseases;

(15) Review Drug Enforcement Agency and the West Virginia scheduling of controlled substances and recommend changes that should be made based on data analysis;

(16) Develop recommendations to improve communication between health care providers and their patients about the risks and benefits of opioid therapy for acute pain, improve the safety and effectiveness of pain treatment, and reduce the risks associated with long-term opioid therapy, including opioid use disorder and overdose;

(17) Develop and implement a program, in accordance with the provisions of § 16-5T-3 of this code, to collect data on fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses caused by abuse and misuse of prescription and illicit drugs, from law enforcement agencies, emergency medical services, health care facilities and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner;

(18) Develop and implement a program that requires the collection of data on the dispensing and use of an opioid antagonist from law enforcement agencies, emergency medical services, health care facilities, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and other entities as required by the office;

(19) Develop a program that provides assessment of persons who have been administered an opioid antagonist;

(20) Create a Sober Living Home/Recovery Residence Taskforce comprised of the following stakeholders:

(A) The Executive Director of the West Virginia Prosecuting Attorney Institute, or designee;

(B) The Secretary of Department of Homeland Security, or designee;

(C) The West Virginia Attorney General, or designee;

(D) The Director of the West Virginia Alliance of Recovery Residences, or designee;

(E) The State Health Officer, or designee;

(F) The Commissioner for the Bureau for Behavioral Health, or designee; and

(G) The West Virginia Inspector General, or designee.

(i) The purpose of the taskforce is to review existing West Virginia law, the laws of other states, and any developed case law regarding sober living homes/recovery residences and make recommendations to the Legislature regarding any revisions needed to West Virginia law regarding sober living homes/recovery residences. At a minimum the following areas shall be examined: insurance fraud, human trafficking, success of programs, and any other relevant issues.  

(ii) These recommendations shall be presented to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability no later than December 15, 2023. A representative of the Taskforce shall provide the Commission with an update regarding the status of the taskforce, including any preliminary findings by October 1, 2023.

(21) Report semi-annually to the Joint Committee on Health on the status of the Office of Drug Control Policy.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary, and to facilitate the collection of data and issues, the Office of Drug Control Policy may exchange necessary data and information with the bureaus within the department, the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, the Department of Administration, the Administrator of Courts, the Poison Control Center, Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Board of Pharmacy. The data and information may include, but is not limited to: data from the Controlled Substance Monitoring Program; the criminal offender record information database; and the court activity record information;