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Tucker County to take part in Project Future

Law enforcement leaders and local school administrators have announced a new drug education and outreach program for North Central West Virginia known as Project Future: The Right Prescription for West Virginia. Board members from the Greater Harrison County Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force were joined today by Harrison County School Officials in making the announcement.

U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld II said Project Future is a comprehensive strategy designed to educate parents and children about the dangers of prescribed medicine, synthetic drugs and other illegal drugs that are plaguing communities in West Virginia.

“The goal of Project Future is for every child to live a life free from substance abuse, and we plan to achieve that goal by the aggressive enforcement of drug trafficking laws as well as by educating our youth about the dangers of drugs,” Ihlenfeld said.

Gregory Moore, assistant superintendent of Harrison County Schools, said, “Prescription drug abuse is the leading type of drug abuse in the state of West Virginia. Project Future will supplement the educational programs Harrison County Schools already has in place that focus on prescription and illegal drugs in order to give our school system a comprehensive approach to teach children about the dangers of drug abuse.

“Since prescription drugs come from a doctor, people tend to believe that they are safe. But unless those drugs have been prescribed to you – nothing could be further from the truth.”

Over the next year, members of the Task Force Board will visit schools in North Central West Virginia, and they’ll be joined by special guest speakers with real-life experience in dealing with addiction. In addition, community awareness meetings will be held in the evenings so parents can be fully informed and made aware of warning signs that their children may be using drugs.

The Project Future events that already have been scheduled for the local area include a session on April 30 at Tucker County High School.

The Project Future program has partnered with U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., who has been a leader in Congress in tackling the issues related to prescription drug abuse. Drug Free Clubs of America is also a partner with the initiative.

Ihlenfeld encourages other schools and community groups that are interested in hosting a Project Future event to contact his office at 304-234-0100.

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