WILLIAMSBURG — As the misuse of opioids continues to permeate communities across the country, U.S. Congressman Rob Wittman hosted a seminar on Friday to discuss what is being done locally to combat the problem.
The event was held at the Williamsburg Community Building with roughly 30 community members in attendance.
Joining Wittman in the conversation were Patrick Hartig, assistant special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Norfolk District Office; Adam Brown, senior director for student services for Williamsburg-James City County Schools; and Dr. Mia McCoy, substance use disorder quality manager for the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.
The focus of the seminar was on the misuse of opioids, namely fentanyl, that are being distributed illegally. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is roughly 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Wittman stated that currently 85% of drug-related deaths are caused by opioids; 112,000 deaths in the United States more than a year ago were due to the misuse of fentanyl.
“This is a national crisis and we have to figure out how to address it,” said Wittman, adding that opioid use and addiction has become “pervasive throughout society,” affecting young and old alike. “It is an unbelievable situation we find ourselves in.”
Hartig pointed out that the misuse of the fentanyl the DEA is trying to battle is being tampered with and smuggled into the country illegally by drug cartels in Mexico. It’s becoming more widely available and cheap, which “makes it a difficult crisis for us to deal with,” he said. “I’ve never seen a greater, more dangerous threat than fentanyl.”
Fentanyl poisoning is now the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18 to 25. It is ingested as a pill or a powder. Hartig cautioned against taking any pill that is not prescribed by a doctor and dispensed at a pharmacy because “I can guarantee you that a pill that comes from any other source probably contains fentanyl,” he said.
McCoy noted that the COVID-19 pandemic “exacerbated” substance use and misuse, including opioids, though since January 2023, there has been “a downward trend in the use and overdose of opioids,” she said. “There is hope.”
WJCC Schools works with families when students are caught using opioids, though often students aren’t aware of what it is they are actually taking.
“A lot of times students don’t know and I hear them say, ‘I had no idea that is what I was taking,’’ Brown said.
Education and prevention are key to controlling the opioid problem, Wittman said. Wittman, who represents Virginia’s 1st District, worked for the Virginia Department of Public Health for more than 25 years and currently serves as co-chair of the Congressional Public Health Caucus.
Wittman has supported many laws to combat the opioid epidemic, including the Protecting Americans from Fentanyl Trafficking Act, which permanently places fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule I controlled substance; and Sammy’s Law, which requires third-party software on social media platforms that alerts parents when their children are exposed to harmful material, including drugs.
Wittman pointed out that it will take everyone to help with the issue, which includes knowing the warning signs of addiction.
“This is a community-based effort,” he said.
Brown added that parents and students should also be attentive when it comes to the opioid crisis.
“Even if you are not sure, say something,” he said.
Brandy Centolanza, bcentolanza@cox.net
![If it were not for the efforts of a William & Mary president in the 1960s there would not have been a marine science program to benefit from the school’s recent largest financial gift. Davis Y. Paschall, president 1960-1971, was instrumental in the development of the substantial academic programs of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) at nearby Gloucester Point on the York River, The Virginia Fisheries Laboratory was established in 1940 as the Virginia Fisheries Laboratory as a joint effort between W&M and the Virginia Commission on Fisheries (now the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. It was initially organized […]](https://www.pilotonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/6SCYSOUXX5GSHC7UWSYZ2RSEAU.jpg?w=408 "If it were not for the efforts of a William & Mary president in the 1960s there would not have been a marine science program to benefit from the school’s recent largest financial gift. Davis Y. Paschall, president 1960-1971, was instrumental in the development of the substantial academic programs of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) at nearby Gloucester Point on the York River, The Virginia Fisheries Laboratory was established in 1940 as the Virginia Fisheries Laboratory as a joint effort between W&M and the Virginia Commission on Fisheries (now the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. It was initially organized […]")
