Pubdate: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 Source: Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram (WV) Website: http://www.exponent-telegram.com/ Address: Clarksburg Publishing Company, P.O. Box 2000, Clarksburg, WV 26302 Email: Clarksburg Publishing Company 2002 Author: Matt Harvey, Assistant Managing Editor Note: Article edited and posted by MAP editor to best conform to MAP archives editorial policies: (1) not to edit published articles, but (2) also not to archive stories about minor drug offenses. The precise nature of the charges discussed and whether they are felonies, misdemeanors or violations was not provided in the article. In the MAP editor's opinion, it does not appear that any of the charges was significant or noteworthy enough to be of interest to drug policy analysts. The names of those indicted are thus being omitted to avoid further unnecessary embarrassment to those charged and their families, while providing the necessary context about the prosecutor's overall claims about drug problems in Harrison County discussed in the balance of the article. GRAND JURY INDICMENTS REFLECT SERIOUS DRUG PROBLEM, PROSECUTOR CLARKSBURG -- One of the 72 people indicted Thursday by the Harrison County Grand Jury is accused of selling marijuana near the courthouse, prosecutors say. If a conviction eventually is returned, one logical question becomes: Why there, where prosecutors, judges and police are found in numbers? A better question right now, though, might be: Is there anywhere left in Harrison County or North Central West Virginia free from drugs? The drug problem, Harrison Prosecutor John Scott said in announcing the indictments, is very real, very much on the rise and very dangerous. 'We Have A Serious Problem' About two-thirds of the indictments involved drugs in some way, Scott said. Some of the drugs police and prosecutors contend were involved were cocaine, methamphetamines, heroin and pain-killers ranging from OxyContin to morphine. Some people were indicted on drug charges. Some were indicted on other charges that were related to drugs, he said. "We have a serious problem, and I think everybody in the community knows that. I hope through these indictments to begin to remove these people from the streets," Scott said. "These defendants will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible, because removing what they're putting on the streets is vital to making our county safe," he said. The Source Marijuana mostly is grown around here and passed among state residents, Scott said. Some other drugs, like heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine, are very likely to come from outside West Virginia, Scott said. Other drugs, like the prescription pain-killer oxycodone (known by the brand name OxyContin), come from both outside and inside the area, Scott said. "The biggest problem is the change in the type of drugs, particularly OxyContin," Scott said. "It's more readily available, provides a bigger high, and it makes people more desperate to get it. When they can't get that, they substitute in heroin or cocaine." The War on Drugs Harrison County's drug task force has increased its efforts to limit drug crimes, Scott said. In the prosecutor's office, one of Scott's assistants has been assigned solely to drug cases. That work ranges from prosecuting cases to assisting the drug task force in collecting property from drug suspects. It will be a tough battle. For example, someone who wants to abuse OxyContin, Scott indicated, need only persuade his doctor that he has severe enough pain to warrant the drug. "It's very hard to diagnose for pain," Scott said. Drug Indictments Following is a list of those indicted Thursday on drug charges. It does not include those indicted on other charges in which prosecutors believe drugs could have been a motivation. All information was provided by the Harrison County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Those indicted, and the charges against them:- --- MAP posted-by: Jackl