West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s office featured the Clay County High School vs. Liberty gridiron matchup as an Opioid Abuse Prevention Game of the Week.
The Attorney General’s Office staffed an informational booth at the game to distribute opioid abuse awareness materials, discuss the dangers of using opioid painkillers to treat high school sports injuries and partner with the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission for in-game public address announcements concerning the topic.
“This week’s matchup provides a great opportunity to highlight the dangers of opioid use,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “Everyone must recognize the addictive characteristics of these painkillers and consider safer alternatives, especially for teenage athletes with such promising futures.”
The Attorney General’s Office also provided educational materials for distribution throughout the respective schools and other sports. Additionally, office representatives talked about the dangers of opioid use with both football coaches to foster more discussion of the issue with their players and coaching staffs during the week.
“Anything we can do to educate the community on the epidemic we’re facing is critical. In Raleigh County we’re always in support of those initiatives,” said Superintendent of Raleigh County Schools David Price. “It’s critical we engage our youth about how this impacts their life and everyone around them and the negative impact in our community. We’re taking all the preventative measures we can take to educate and prevent this epidemic from impacting our youth.”
Spotlighting this week’s game follows the Attorney General teaming with several groups to tackle opioid use in high school athletics, including the WVSSAC, West Virginia Board of Medicine and the West Virginia Physical Therapy Association.
Opioid painkillers may temporarily relieve pain, but do nothing to address the underlying injury and can have serious side effects. The medication also carries striking similarities to heroin.
The Attorney General and his partners worry the unnecessary usage of opioid painkillers to treat athletic injuries could lead to increased dependence, abuse and addiction. In fact, a New York University study found, “three-quarters of high school heroin users started with a prescription opioid.”
This initiative will push other forms of pain management. Alternatives include physical therapy, non-opioid painkillers, acupuncture, massage therapy and over-the-counter medication.
Parents and caregivers are urged to discuss alternative treatment plans with their child’s healthcare provider. If an opioid proves necessary, they are encouraged to strictly use the medication as directed, closely monitor their child’s use, safely dispose of any unused pills and talk about the inherent dangers of misuse, abuse and sharing.
